Cataclysm
by Tsukino Akume
Summary: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
1. Shine

**Relationship/:** Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom

**Warnings/:** emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression

**Disclaimer/:** If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it **would** have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.

**Author's Notes/:** This idea hit me after watching Countdown to Destruction for the umpteenth time, shortly after plotting a prequel for Bright Skies. Somehow that turned into **three** Bright Skies prequels, of which this is the first. While I have an idea of where it's going, I'm not sure of much else. So ... strap in? Hope you like it?

And of course, love to phantom_blue and Challon86 for beta, as well as purplestripe66 and BlackCrimsonLight for additional encouragement and support.

Chapter 1: Shine

-- _The moment of relief was slowly subsiding as they rejoiced in Karone being brought back to them, to Andros, that they were both __**alive**__. That the whole team had survived, and won. That Dark Specter was gone, and they were safe._

_ With the fading relief slowly came the realization that they were surrounded. The citizens of Angel Grove had remained back at first out of respect, but now that the Rangers had calmed, their curiosity had made more than one press closer. Their consideration wouldn't last much longer._

_ Andros was too busy enjoying the fact that Karone was alive to notice, touching her hair, her arm, any part of her he could reach, as if letting go at any point would make her disappear again. Karone seemed confused by his attention, but she hadn't pushed him away yet. Ashley was focused on the two of them more than anything else, nearly in tears for Andros' happiness and the safe return of them both._

_ It was Carlos who noticed the nearing crowd first, but T.J., Cassie, and Zhane weren't far behind him. They exchanged glances, silently agreeing to protect Andros and Karone and electing a temporary leader in one look. _

_ Cassie moved to stand, only to find a blur of blue standing firmly in front of her before she could so much as blink. She barely had time to acknowledge the presence of the Blue Turbo Ranger before she noticed other Rangers gathering around them. Two ... Zeo Rangers wasn't it? The ones who'd been there before the Turbo Rangers. Blue, Yellow, and Green. At their center was a man in red with white diamonds on his chest, a man even __**she**__ recognized, despite her lack of interest in the Power Rangers when he'd first shown up._

_ "I need everyone remain calm, and step a few steps back please," the Red Ranger announced, raising his voice just enough to be heard. Even without knowing who he was, people instinctively responded to the sound and tone of his voice. This was The Red Ranger. Not just any Ranger, but __**The**__ Red. The one that had protected Angel Grove, and Earth, for three years._

_ "You guys need to get out of here, fast," Blue Turbo hissed, kneeling beside Cassie "We can take care of things from here, but we'll only be able to hold them off for so long."_

_ She blinked at him. "Jus - "_

_ He cut her off with a sharp shake of his head. "We'll handle Earth. But you guys need to get out of here before you get swamped."_

_ "The Dark Fortress," Karone murmured, looking up at the ship as if she'd just noticed it._

_ "It's empty," Andros told her, and for a moment they exchanged a look before Karone nodded. "You can use it as a temporary base, while we take the Megaship," Andros said finally, glancing up at Blue Turbo. "We need to get to KO-35."_

_ "The Rebels," Cassie said without thinking, biting her lip anxiously._

_ "Can you teleport to your ship from here?" Blue Zeo spoke up, looking back over his shoulder at them._

_ Zhane shook his head. "Most of the main systems are down. She'll get us home, but that's about it."_

_ Cassie winced, and most of the team seemed shaken at the thought. Andros looked stricken._

_ "The Dark Fortress should still have teleportation," Karone said softly, reaching out to squeeze Andros' arm hesitantly. "We can use that to get to the Megaship."_

_ Andros looked at her, swallowing hard and nodding. His hand caught hers, squeezing tightly._

_ "Let's get you two up off the ground, huh?" Yellow Zeo suggested gently, reaching down to offer Karone a hand. Something about her voice was disturbingly familiar, and Cassie frowned at her as she tried to place it._

_ "We need to move guys," Green Zeo cut in, shifting anxiously. "They're not gonna stay back much longer."_

_ "This way," Karone said softly, her hand still caught in Andros' as she lead the way up the ramp and into the Dark Fortress._

_ Cassie swallowed hard, exchanging glances with T.J. and Carlos, and followed. --_

"Approaching Earth," D.E.C.A. announced abruptly.

Cassie blinked, shaking her head to clear the memories. She glanced around and found the others looking just as uncertain as she felt. "So ... I guess this is it," she offered uncertainly.

Ashley bit her lip. "I guess so."

"Incoming transmission," D.E.C.A. interrupted.

Andros frowned. "From who?"

There was a pause. "It appears to be coming from the Dark Fortress."

He sat up straighter in his seat, tugging his rumpled jacket down. "Onscreen," he ordered, sounding much more awake than he should have. They'd headed straight for Earth after leaving KO-35, but the last week of repairs and negotiations and storytelling had worn everyone down.

The face that greeted them wasn't one anyone had expected. "Adam!" Carlos called, looking startled.

Adam Park smiled wearily at them. "Hey, guys. Good to see you made it back okay."

"What are you doing on the Dark Fortress?" T.J. asked, frowning.

Adam's smile faded with a slow sigh. "That's a long story. Let's just say it's my shift. You guys okay?"

"We're fine," Andros interrupted. "How's Earth?"

For some reason that made Adam sigh again, reaching up to rub a hand over his eyes. "She'll survive," he said finally. "You guys should be more worried about yourselves right now."

"Ourselves?" Cassie echoed, frowning.

Adam seemed about to say something, but he shook his head instead. "It's late. You guys should get home and get some sleep. We'll bring you up to speed in the morning." He paused. "Just ... don't go out alone, all right? Things are pretty crazy right now."

"But ... " Ashley glanced over at her. "Cassie lives alone."

Cassie shook her head. "I'll be fine, Ash," she promised. "I can handle one night by myself, right?" She offered a smile she was too tired to really feel.

"Actually, I don't think that's a good idea," Adam said with a frown. "I'm not sure you'd even be able to get inside."

"Get inside?" T.J. repeated, eyes narrowing. "Why wouldn't she be able to get inside?"

Adam sighed, seeming troubled. "Guys ... things are ... a little different than the way they were when you left. You can't just - " He cut himself off, running a hand over his hair and looking agitated. "Look. It's really late. You guys need to get some sleep before we deal with this."

"Adam ... " Carlos took a step forward, looking worried. "What's going on?"

Adam closed his eyes briefly. "Guys, seriously. Go home. Sleep. It'll wait until tomorrow, I promise. The problem's not going anywhere."

"Problem?" Zhane looked alarmed.

Adam was starting to look like he was ready to strangle someone now. "Yes, there's a problem," he ground out at last. "No, you can't fix it tonight. Go home. Tell your families you're okay. We'll talk tomorrow, I promise."

"Thank you, Adam," Andros said quickly. "For everything."

That got a smile. "Hey, it's my planet, too," Adam returned. The smile turned wry. "Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Good night, guys. Ranger Base out."

Everyone blinked as the screen went black.

"Ranger Base?" Andros echoed, looking puzzled.

"Maybe they didn't like saying Dark Fortress all the time," Zhane suggested, giving Karone a grin.

She gave him a stare that made her look disturbingly like Andros. Despite the last week that they'd been getting to know her again, the similarities between the two of them still caught everyone by surprise sometimes. Knowing that Karone and Andros were twins was one thing; seeing Astronema glaring exactly like the Red Ranger did was another.

"You can stay the night at my house, Cassie," Ashley offered. "My parents won't mind."

Cassie hesitated. She wanted to check on Jetson more than anything, but the idea of spending the night by herself wasn't so appealing, especially with Adam acting so oddly. "I guess my neighbor can watch Jetson for another night," she said finally, giving a faint smile. "Thanks, Ash."

Ashley leaned in to wrap an arm around her. "Don't mention it," she said cheerfully. "I didn't want to spend the night by myself anyway."

Cassie grinned in spite of herself. Somehow Ashley always seemed to know just what she was thinking.

"Thanks, Ash," T.J. said wryly, making a face at her. "You're making me feel real good about going home by **myself** now."

"Tell me about it," Carlos groused. "My mom's not gonna let me out of the house for at least a week."

Andros shook his head, fighting a smile. "Good night, guys. We'll see you in the morning."

"Bright and early!" Zhane chirped with a grin, knowing how his morning habits drove everyone but Ashley nuts.

"Try it. I dare you," Carlos warned him with a dark look.

Cassie chuckled, shaking her head as she got up. "Night, guys."

"Good night everybody!" Ashley called, wrapping an arm around Cassie's shoulders as they headed down to the Holding Bay.

She glanced over at Cassie once they were out of earshot. "I meant it, you know,"she confessed softly with a sheepish smile. "After everything that's happened ... well, I really didn't want to be by myself tonight."

The corner of Cassie's mouth lifted. "Me, either," she admitted. "Thanks."

Ashley's arm squeezed as she gently bumped their heads together in silent understanding. Cassie squeezed back, closing her eyes briefly as she sent another quiet thank you to whoever was listening that they had all made it out of this alive.

* * *

They had expected everyone to be asleep when they landed in the backyard, so they made sure to be extra quiet as they slipped into the house. Ashley knew how to navigate through her house blindfolded, so she kept a tight grip on Cassie's hand as she led her through the kitchen and into the living room. Cassie managed not to swear aloud when she stubbed her toe on the doorframe.

The moment they stepped into the living room however, the lights came on.

"Ashley!"

"Mom! Dad!" Ashley looked startled as her parents rushed toward them. "What are you two doing up?"

Cassie released her, taking a step back to allow them privacy, but found Melanie Hammond swooping her up into a hug of her own. She made a noise of surprise, automatically moving to hug her back.

"We've been so worried about you girls!" Melanie gushed, sounding near tears. She released Cassie to hug her daughter, and Cassie found Kevin wrapped around her in Melanie's place.

"I'm glad you're both okay," Kevin murmured, squeezing tighter as he said 'both'.

Cassie blinked rapidly for a moment, resisting the urge to cling to him. Kevin wasn't her father, but for a moment ...

For a moment, she wished he was.

"You are okay, aren't you?" Melanie pressed, stepping back again to look them both over worriedly. "You're not hurt?"

"We're fine, Mom," Ashley promised with a smile. "Just tired. It's been a long week."

Kevin and Melanie exchanged glances. "That it has," Kevin murmured.

Something about his tone seemed off, and Cassie frowned. "Is everything all right?" she asked hesitantly.

Melanie forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes, reaching out to stroke Ashley's hair and squeeze Cassie's shoulder. "It's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow. Do you girls need anything? Are you hungry?"

Ashley shook her head. "I think we're just gonna go to bed," she said apologetically. "We didn't expect anyone to be up."

"Well, then don't let us keep you," Melanie said quickly, leaning in to kiss Ashley's forehead, then Cassie's, to her surprise. She gave them both a warm smile when she stepped back. "We'll see you in the morning."

"You're not going to work?" Ashley asked with a frown.

"Taking the day off," Kevin corrected. "So we'll both still be here when you wake up.

She looked troubled. "You guys don't have to - "

"We want to," Melanie corrected, giving her another faint smile. "We'll talk more in the morning, okay sweetheart?"

"Okay," Ashley agreed reluctantly. She leaned in to hug them both. "Good night. I love you."

"We love you too, sweetheart," Melanie murmured, and Kevin kissed the top of her head.

Cassie swallowed hard.

Ashley caught her hand again as she stepped back, leading her back towards the bedroom. "Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Hammond," Cassie called softly.

Ashley's room hadn't changed much since the last time she'd been over, and her extra change of clothes were in the same place Ashley always kept them. "Here," Ashley said quietly, and she caught a pair of light shorts and a shirt on reflex.

They changed in silence, and she was only marginally surprised when Ashley pulled back the covers on the bed without getting out the sleeping bag Cassie usually used when she spent the night. Ashley climbed in, looking up at her expectantly, and she smiled in spite herself. It took a moment for them both to get settled after she crawled in, but finally they found a comfortable position that allowed them to hug without squashing each other.

"I'm glad you're here, Cassie," Ashley whispered in the darkness. She smiled, and even in the shadows Cassie could see the tears shining in her eyes. "I'm glad ... I'm glad that everything's okay."

"Me, too," Cassie whispered back, squeezing.

Sleep took its time in coming that night, even as she heard Ashley's breathing even out beside her. Her mind just couldn't seem to shut itself off. She thought of her teammates, of Carlos trying to calm his mother, of T.J. trying yet again to explain to Jake just where he'd been for so long. Of Andros, Zhane, and Karone on the Megaship, Andros and Karone still learning what it was like to be siblings, Zhane thinking of new ways to keep their spirits up.

She thought about Adam's odd behavior, the way Ashley's parents had ambushed them the moment they'd come home. She wondered where the other Rangers she'd seen when they left Earth were, and if they all knew what was going on. She wondered **what** was going on, and why it had them all so evasive and nervous at the same time.

She dreamed about her parents. About her dad's warm laugh, her mom's gentle smile even as she scolded. She dreamed about her brothers, about her sister. About Sammy, lifting his chubby little arms and crying for attention.

She was crying when she woke up.

It took a moment of laying quietly to reorient herself. Ashley was surprisingly still asleep; apparently she'd been even more tired than she let on. It was the sunlight coming in through the window that had woken her, shining down across her face.

With a sigh she slipped carefully out of the bed, tucking the blankets up around her friend with a soft smile. She stretched, moving to the window to adjust the curtains again before she grabbed her clothes for a shower.

Something bright caught her eye.

Frowning, she pulled open the curtain to get a better look. For a moment she was blinded by the shine of the early morning sun. Then she realized the sun was flashing.

Then she realized that someone was standing in front of the window with a camera.


	2. News

Not sure if I like this chapter, but there's lots of team snuggles, so that makes it okay.

Chapter 2: News

"Argh!" Cassie yelled, yanking the curtain closed over the window.

For a moment she stood still, trying to get her breathing under control as she struggled to understand what had just happened.

"Cassie?" Ashley was at her side in moments, wide awake and looking alarmed. "Cassie, what is it?"

The bedroom door burst open. "Are you girls all right?!" Kevin Hammond demanded.

Cassie blinked again, finally turning to stare at Ashley. "There was ... there was a man outside the window!" she sputtered, indignation dawning at last. "He had a camera and he - "

"A man with a camera?" Ashley repeated, frowning.

Kevin sighed quietly. "I was afraid of this," he muttered.

The noise caught their attention more than his words. "Dad?" Ashley asked warily, still squeezing Cassie's hands. "What's going on?"

The look Kevin gave her was full of sympathy, and it was frightening. "It can wait until after breakfast," he said finally. "Why don't you two go get - "

"No," Cassie interrupted, shaking her head. "You said it could wait last night. I want to know what's going on."

Kevin looked torn. "Girls - "

"Dad, please," Ashley said quietly. "We're not kids anymore. We deserve to know what's wrong."

There was a long pause, and at last Kevin nodded slowly. "You're right. You're not." He shook his head. "Come on out to the living room. Just ... stay away from the windows."

Cassie and Ashley exchanged a glance as he headed down the hall.

"Clothes first," Ashley said grimly, heading for the dresser.

Cassie smiled, but there was no amusement in it. One of the first things you learned about being a Power Ranger was to always be ready for anything. She didn't like the idea of that mentality spilling over into the rest of her life.

Ashley caught her hand again as they left the room, and she squeezed it back reflexively. Maybe Andros and Karone weren't the only ones who needed physical contact to make sure each other were still there, Cassie mused silently. The thought made her heart hurt.

Ashley stopped abruptly in front of her. "Dev? Tabby? What are you two doing home?"

Devon looked up from the TV, while Tabitha bounded out of her chair at the dining room table with a bright smile. "Ashley!" she squealed, tackling her older sister in a hug.

Ashley let go of Cassie's hand to hug her back, squeezing a little tighter than was strictly necessary. "Oh, it's good to see you," she murmured, tears sparkling in her eyes for a moment.

Cassie looked away, swallowing another lump in her throat.

Looking around the living room, something struck her suddenly. The curtains on all of the windows were closed. The entire house had been shut up tight enough that they actually needed the lights on, and now that she thought about it, Ashley had to use her key to get in through the backdoor last night.

The backdoor was never locked.

"Mom and Dad didn't want us going to school after what happened to Nikki," Devon explained, not bothering to move from his sprawl across the couch.

Ashley looked alarmed. "What happened to Nikki?" she repeated, turning to look for her father.

"Devon," Melanie scolded gently as she came out of the kitchen. "Stop scaring your sister." She looked at Ashley for a moment, and something in her gaze set Cassie's nerves on edge. "Why don't you girls sit down?" she said finally.

Ashley looked at Cassie. She swallowed and nodded once in agreement.

Ashley grabbed her hand again, pulling Cassie along to sit beside her on the couch as Devon moved to an arm chair. Ashley frowned at him, and Cassie squeezed her hand again. For a moment they exchanged another look before turning their complete attention on Melanie. "What's going on?" Cassie asked quietly. "And why doesn't anyone want us to know about it?"

Melanie sighed as she took a seat in the chair opposite Devon, Kevin coming to sit on the arm. He squeezed her shoulder in silent support. "We thought it'd be best to let you get a good night's rest before we told you," she explained. She paused, seeming to gather her thoughts, before looking at both of them seriously. "First of all, we want you to know how proud we are of you. All of you. When Astronema - " she cut herself off, shaking her head as tears shone in her eyes. "I've never been so terrified in my life," she admitted. Her eyes met Ashley's. "And I've never been more proud of you."

"Mom ... " Ashley whispered, her own eyes watering.

"We all are," Kevin spoke up, giving a slight smile. "And don't ever forget that." he added, leaning forward to squeeze their joined hands.

Cassie swallowed as her heart began to pound and she didn't know why. "So what happened?"

Melanie let out another slow sigh. "When the five of you transformed in front of everyone," she began slowly, and Cassie fought the urge to correct her wording, "There were almost a hundred witnesses. Several of them were reporters. And one man ... it turns out he had a camera."

She could feel the blood draining from her face. "What?" she whispered.

"By the time they had the news broadcasts up again, everyone in Angel Grove knew who the four of you were," Kevin said quietly. "And they're still trying to figure out who Zhane and Andros are."

"It was world-wide in less than an hour, thanks to the internet," Devon offered. He quieted at the look his father shot him.

Ashley swallowed hard, and her grip on Cassie's hand was painfully tight. "Then ... that man Cassie saw ... "

"There's been about thirty reporters camped on our front lawn all week," Kevin admitted.

There was a soft cry of dismay, and Ashley swayed.

Cassie wrapped an arm around her tightly. "Breathe, Ash," she murmured, rubbing her shoulder. She felt numb.

"N-Nikki?" Ashley managed finally.

Melanie looked worried, biting her lip. "She was ... approached by some reporters at school," she said softly. "She's fine - Campus Security got her back to her dorm all right - but she hasn't tried to go to class since. She called and warned us to keep Devon and Tabitha at home for now."

"She said she'd head home as soon as she can," Kevin added. "She wanted to see you."

Ashley closed her eyes, whimpering faintly. The next moment her eyes shot open again with a gasp of horror. "Oh, no. Carlos! T.J.!"

Cassie was already reaching for her communicator. "Guys, this is Cassie. Come in."

"_This is Carlos,_" came the weary reply. "_You guys heard?_"

"There was someone outside the window this morning," Cassie told him, her fingers tightening slightly on her communicator as anger surged briefly.

"_Are you girls all right?_" he asked sharply.

"We're fine," Ashley promised him, leaning in so he could hear her. "What about you?"

There was a long, drawn-out sigh. "_I'm okay,_" he said eventually.

_Yeah, right_, Cassie thought immediately, sharing a skeptical glance with Ashley.

Another beep signaled someone else joining in the call. "_This is Zhane!_" he piped up cheerfully. "_Sorry about the delay. I was being unfairly teamed up against._"

"_Unfairly?_" Karone repeated, sounding offended.

"_What's wrong, Cassie?_" Andros put in, clearly ignoring the other two.

Another beep. "_What is it?_" T.J. asked sharply, sounding irritated.

Cassie let out a slow sigh, looking at Ashley again. "Can you guys make it to my house?" Ashley asked after moment, biting her lip. "We need to talk."

"_We'll be right down,_" Andros promised.

"_On my way,_" Carlos agreed.

There was a pause. "_As soon as I can get out of here,_" T.J. grumbled.

Cassie frowned uncertainly. "You all right, Teej?"

Another pause, and they heard him sigh. "_Honestly? No. I'll be there as fast as I can._"

She lowered her wrist, frowning deeper as she ended the call. Ashley met her gaze worriedly. "You think something happened?"

"I guess well see," she murmured, reaching out automatically to catch Ashley's hand again. The return grip left her fingers numb.

"We'll let you kids have some privacy," Keith promised, giving Melanie a hand out of her chair as he stared at Devon and Tabitha.

"But we were here first ... " Devon complained. He silenced as his mother shot him another look.

Tabitha moved just enough in Ashley's lap to wrap one arm around her sister, while the other came up around Cassie. "Thank you for saving us," she told them both solemnly as she pulled away. "I never got to say it before."

Cassie blinked back at the younger girl, trying to think of something to say in response. She couldn't say 'you're welcome'. And she couldn't explain that protecting Earth was just part of what they did as Rangers, because she didn't want to cheapen Tabitha's thanks. But what **could** she say?

Ashley reached up to tuck some hair behind her little sister's ear. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat," she told Tabitha softly.

Tabitha's answering smile lit up the room as she scrambled to her feet. "I'm really proud to be your sister, Ashley," she said earnestly.

Ashley's eyes seemed a little too bright for a moment. "And I'm proud to be **your** sister," she returned, poking Tabitha gently on the nose.

Cassie looked away, closing her eyes and clenching her free hand.

The sound of teleportation caught her attention, and she looked up again as black sparkles descended into the living room. She quickly pulled her hand free before Ashley yanked her arm out of the socket in her lunge for Carlos. She had him in a hug before he'd even fully formed, her arms thrown around his neck and squeezing tightly. Carlos looked startled, even as his arms went around her just as tight. His eyes found Cassie's instantly, and he frowned. "You girls all right?" he asked again.

Cassie tried to smile. "'Bout as much as you'd expect," she told him as red, silver, and white sparkles appeared beside him.

In the thirty seconds it took Andros to look around the room, his eyes narrowed in suspicion even as he turned to greet Ashley with a hug. "What happened?"

"We're celebrities," Cassie informed him, shrugging with a pained smile.

Zhane frowned, looking puzzled. " ... And that's a bad thing?"

"No one's ever known who Earth's Rangers were," Carlos answered him, reaching out to rub Ashley's arm absently as she stepped back from Andros. "It's always been a secret. And now ... " He trailed off with a quiet sigh.

"There was a man with a camera outside our bedroom window this morning," Cassie explained quietly, even as she knew Zhane probably wouldn't understand. He'd never understood their reasoning for not wanting people to know who they were to begin with. "He took a picture of me in my pjs."

Surprisingly, that seemed to get to Zhane as none of their other explanations had before. He came to sit beside her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her shoulders with a look of concern. "You okay?"

She shrugged, leaning against him. "Honestly?"

"Dumb question, huh?" he asked ruefully, and she smiled a little.

"I'm sorry."

She looked up at Karone's quiet admission just in time to see Ashley shake her head vehemently. "Karone, it's not your fault," she insisted.

"I'm the one who demanded you reveal yourselves," Karone reminded them quietly.

"And I'm the one who suggested we actually do it," Zhane pointed out.

"And the rest of us agreed," Ashley added. She smiled gently, reaching out to squeeze Karone's hands with a look of understanding. "It's no one's fault."

"Except the bad guys'," Carlos put in, grinning faintly.

A burst of blue sparkles announced T.J.'s arrival, and Ashley turned to greet him with a hug. She paused before she managed it, frowning. "T.J.? What happened?" she asked anxiously.

T.J. sighed, looking weary. "My mom called at five this morning. I just got off the phone after you guys called."

Ashley bit her lip, moving in to hug him tightly. "Are you all right?"

He sighed again, closing his eyes briefly as he hugged her back. "Tired," he admitted, fighting a yawn. "Worn out, I guess. She's pretty mad."

"Why would she be mad?" Andros spoke up, frowning.

T.J. shrugged, trying to smile. "Well, I spent about a year hiding the fact that I was putting my life in danger from my family. Then there's the fact that my baseball career's been on the back burner. Oh, and she obviously can't trust Jake to keep an eye on me if he can't tell I'm a superhero, so she wants me to come home," he added, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "I don't even know what the rest of my family thinks yet. She's been lecturing me for hours."

"I'm sorry, T.J.," Karone told him, looking sad. "This is all happening because of me."

He cracked an eye open to glare at her. "Oh, no. You don't get to do the guilt trip thing," he warned her darkly. "I've spent the last ten months dealing with Andros' issues. I am **not** accepting any more."

Ashley burst into giggles, clapping her hands over her mouth guiltily as Karone looked startled and Andros glared at her half-heartedly. "I'm sorry!" she gasped, trying to keep in her laughter. "I'm sorry! I know it's not funny. It's just - "

Carlos snickered quietly.

Cassie fought a grin, and then laughed as Zhane elbowed her gently in the ribs. "It **is** funny," he reminded them, shooting Cassie a grin of his own.

And then they were all laughing, because it wasn't funny at all, but they couldn't seem to stop. They laughed until Ashley started to cry, and then Andros was hugging her close, trying to soothe her. Carlos ran a hand over his hair in agitation, and T.J. leaned against a wall looking ready to collapse.

Cassie blinked back tears of her own, leaning into Zhane and burying her face against his neck. Everything was falling apart around them, and she didn't have the slightest idea of what to do. Everything they'd tried so hard to protect was in shambles.

Zhane's hand came up to stroke her hair as Ashley's quiet sobs echoed in the background. "It's gonna be okay, Cassie," he murmured in her ear. "We'll make it okay."

She wanted to believe him. She just wasn't sure if she could. She wasn't sure if anything could ever be okay again.


	3. Flashlight

I hate information dump chapters. -Glares and kicks chapter-

Love to phantom_blue for beta!

Chapter 3: Flashlight

Cassie poked at her eggs with a sigh.

Zhane nudged her side gently. "You need to eat more," he reprimanded softly.

She gave him a look.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "I meant today," he clarified. "If today's going to be as long as I think it is, you'll need your strength."

She sighed and poked her eggs again, forcing herself to take another bite. Chewing slowly and methodically, she tried not to think about how tasteless it was as she swallowed and looked at Zhane expectantly. "Am I done now?" she mocked gently.

He rolled his eyes and elbowed her lightly again.

"What are we going to do?" Ashley murmured suddenly. She'd eaten even less than Cassie had, staring blankly at her plate with her chin resting on her hands.

Andros reached out to squeeze her hand, frowning in worry.

"I'm staying out of the house as much as possible," T.J. muttered darkly, scowling. "I don't want to be home any more than I have to right now."

"We should probably talk to Adam," Carlos admitted, looking reluctant. "He said he had something to tell us, right?"

Cassie frowned slightly. "Try him now," she suggested. "The sooner we talk to him, the sooner we can get this out of the way. I need to get home soon," she added, thinking of Jetson with a pang.

Her communicator went off just as Carlos nodded and reached for his own. She blinked, answering it cautiously. "This is Cassie," she said warily.

"Gooooood morning, Vietnam!" an unfamiliar voice rang out cheerfully.

There was a sigh, sounding much closer than the first voice had. "Rocky... " A pause. "This is Adam. Sorry to contact you so early Cassie, but we figured it was best to contact you all as soon as we knew you were awake."

She frowned. "We were just about to call you, actually. But ... how did you know I was awake?"

Another pause.

"There was a picture of you on the morning news, looking out a window," Adam explained awkwardly.

Her eyes widened. "Wh ... what?" she whispered, feeling cold.

A warm hand came up to squeeze her shoulder. "Cassie?" she heard T.J. say, sounding worried. "Cassie, take a deep breath for me, okay?"

_No. No no no. This can't be happening_, she chanted silently. She hunched forward, burying her head in her hands as she took in several shaky breaths. _I spent all this time being so careful ... This __**cannot**__ be happening!_

The hand was rubbing her back now, and she heard more voices in the distance. _Maybe they didn't see it_, she thought hopefully. _Mom's usually too busy to watch the morning news, and Dad's long gone by then. They might not even know. And if they don't know, then there's nothing to worry about. So it's okay. No one knows where I am. It's fine. It's fine._

She brought her head up slowly and found the others gathered around her, watching her worriedly. She blinked.

"Cassie?" Ashley asked cautiously, looking anxious. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said automatically. She paused and shook her head slowly. "I just ... " She ran a hand over her hair and shrugged helplessly. There was nothing to explain exactly what she was feeling right now.

Ashley rubbed her arms soothingly, offering a hesitant smile. "It'll be okay," she promised, but the look in her eyes was too scared to make Cassie believe it.

"We'll make it okay," Zhane agreed behind her, his hand coming up to touch the back of her neck. "And hey, if lawsuits don't work on your planet, I'm totally willing to do assassinations," he said earnestly.

It was so random and completely **Zhane** that she burst out laughing. After a moment she looked up to offer him a grin. "Thanks, Zhane," she said sincerely. She knew he would know what she meant.

"You think I'm kidding?" he asked innocently, batting his eyelashes at her. But the hand on the back of her neck squeezed slightly in understanding.

She snorted. "No," she said ruefully. "Actually, I don't."

"Are you feeling better now?" Andros interrupted, narrowing his eyes at Zhane briefly before looking at her. His tone was short, but the subtle concern in his eyes was still visible. "We told Adam we'd be up to the Dark Fortress as soon as possible."

She swallowed down the last of her nerves and took a deep breath, forcing a smile. "Let's go," she said firmly.

* * *

The first thing Cassie noticed when the pink sparkles cleared from her vision was a pair of feet. They were small, wearing a pair of worn sneakers, and sticking out from under a console. "How's that?" a feminine voice called.

"Gimme a sec," returned a deep, male voice. "This is Ranger Base. Can you guys hear us?"

"Loud and clear," answered a male voice from somewhere they couldn't see. Cassie thought he sounded familiar.

"Gottcha," put in another woman.

"It's about time," complained yet another woman.

"You're welcome!" called the woman under the console.

There was a pause, and all three voices rang out "Thank you, Trini!"

Trini laughed, sliding out at last. She was very pretty, with long dark hair and kind, dark eyes. Her jeans were worn, and there was a grease streak on her bright yellow tank top. Large gold hoops hung from her ears, ringing softly as she turned to greet the Astro Rangers with a smile. "Hello," she said warmly. "It's nice to finally meet you all. I'm Trini." She offered a hand, which Andros shook automatically.

"Andros of KO-35," he returned formally, inclining his head politely.

Trini's smile widened, and she ran her eyes carefully over each of them. "Are any of you hurt?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "We never had a chance to see if you needed anything before you left."

"We're fine," Ashley promised, stepping forward to offer her own hand. "I'm Ashley," she added, tilting her head curiously. "I don't think we've met?"

"Trini was one of Earth's first Rangers," a familiar voice spoke up behind them.

"Adam!" Carlos greeted brightly as he turned around. "How are you, man?"

Adam gave a slight wry smile. "I've been better. You got the comm fixed, Trini?"

She nodded. "Just some faulty wiring. Nothing impossible to repair," she said lightly, giving him a teasing grin.

Adam rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry we pulled you out of class, but you're the only one we could find who knows what they're doing."

"That's for sure," added another man as he joined them all. This one was tall and dark haired, folding his arms across his muscular chest as he gave Trini a look. "And if we'd tried to fix it without you, you'd just yell at me later for doing it wrong."

"I don't yell," Trini sniffed, but she was trying not to smile.

"Incoming!" called another voice.

A sharp bark caught Cassie's attention, followed by the sound of nails scraping across metal flooring. She whirled, already falling to her knees with a relieved smile. "Jetson!"

He barreled into her, wagging his tail so hard his entire body wriggled as he tried to lick her face eagerly. She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tight. "I missed you too, boy." She looked up as she pushed him down before he could knock her over, frowning at Adam. "What's he doing here?"

Adam, Trini, and the other man exchanged glances.

"We had to rescue him," explained another man as he joined them. This one had dark hair cropped even shorter than the man in red, dressed in a blue T-shirt and jeans. "We figured you wouldn't mind, considering the circumstances. I'm Rocky," he added.

"Jason," put in the man in Red, offering Andros a hand.

"Andros of KO-35," Andros returned solemnly, and Cassie fought a grin as T.J. rolled his eyes behind him.

She stood up, offering her own hand as the rest of her team introduced themselves. "And I'm Cassie. Thanks for taking care of Jetson for me."

"Are you kidding?" Rocky asked with a grin. "He's the best part of working up here."

"You might want to keep an eye on him," Adam warned, smirking faintly at the other man. "Just in case Rocky tries to keep him."

"It's a match made in heaven," Jason quipped.

Trini laughed as Rocky glared at them both. "You both play with him just as much as anyone does," she reminded them gently. "Rocky just has the energy to play with him longer."

"I rest my case," Jason returned, grinning as Rocky aimed a punch at his shoulder.

"Why did you need to rescue Jetson?" Ashley piped up, frowning as she reached down to pet him absently.

The four of them exchanged looks again, visibly hesitating. "Maybe we should sit down," Trini suggested carefully.

"If this is about the whole world knowing who we are, we already know," Carlos cut in, looking irritated. "We found out this morning."

"That's part of it," Jason agreed calmly. "But it's a little more involved than that."

"Involved how?" T.J. asked warily, folding his arms as he frowned.

"We can sit down in the war room," Karone spoke up, studying Jason with a calculating expression. "It's just down the hall."

"Is that one of the ones we couldn't get open?" Rocky asked, frowning.

"Possibly," Karone returned over her shoulder as she headed down the hall.

Andros rolled his eyes and followed her as Zhane snickered.

Cassie found herself falling in step beside Rocky as the rest of them trailed after, one hand on Jetson's collar. Now that she had him back, she was a little afraid to let go. She glanced at Rocky. "Thanks for taking care of him," she said sincerely.

He gave her an easy smile. "Aw, it was fun. It was getting a little dark and creepy up here, so it was nice to have someone to play with. We've all been taking turns keeping him company."

"All?" she echoed, confused.

He smiled, but only held the door open for her.

"All right," Jason began at some unspoken signal as they finally settled around the large table in the center of the war room. "The first thing you should know is that yes, the world knows who you are now. You're celebrities. Which means that everyone in Angel Grove wants to get close to you."

"That's why we brought Jetson here," Trini said softly. "Your neighbor was advertising pictures with the Pink Ranger's dog for a fee."

"We snuck in in the middle of the night and brought him up," Rocky added, looking grim.

Cassie stared at them in horror. Her hand tightened on Jetson's collar. "Mrs. Franklin was ... ?"

She couldn't finish that sentence.

"I wish we could say that's the worst thing that's happened," Jason said solemnly, "But there's been worse."

"My parents said my cousin couldn't get into her classes," Ashley whispered, gripping Andros' hand as she looked pale.

Adam nodded. "Anyone that's got a connection to you has been surrounded by the media. Family, friends ... "

"You probably won't see Justin for awhile," Rocky warned. "His dad's got him practically under lock and key."

"Is he all right?" T.J. asked, leaning forward with a frown.

Rocky shrugged. "He's fine, physically. A little bitter and annoyed, but that's just Justin."

Cassie frowned, absently scratching behind Jetson's ear as he wagged his tail in bliss. _It is?_

"But that's not the only thing we need to talk about," Jason interrupted, looking serious. He started to speak and stopped, a pained expression coming over his face. "Do you remember the golden wave that appeared, and took out all the Quantrons?" he asked finally.

The Astro Rangers all nodded. Andros' expression tightened, and Karone reached out to take his hand tentatively. He flinched, then suddenly gripped back tightly. "It was Zordon," he said stiffly, and if she hadn't known him, Cassie wouldn't have understood just how much that hurt him to admit.

Trini was giving Andros an odd, searching look, but she nodded slowly. "He went to each of us and said goodbye." She swallowed, tears shining in her eyes for a moment. "And he gave us a gift."

"Each of us?" Zhane asked, frowning.

"The other Rangers," Karone murmured, giving the four of them a strangely calculating expression. She shrugged lightly as the Astro Rangers looked at her in surprise. "Angel Grove wasn't the only place on Earth I attacked," she said simply. "It was just the best defended."

Andros scowled at her. "I thought you said you didn't remember - "

"I don't," she interrupted, giving him a look. "But I can still read a computer log."

Zhane tried and failed to hide a snicker, and Andros gave him a dark look.

Cassie ducked her head to hide her smile, pretending to cuddle Jetson.

" ... You attacked?" Jason asked slowly.

Andros and Zhane both stiffened, but Karone met Jason's gaze calmly. "I am ... was, Astronema."

"You were brainwashed," Zhane cut in, glaring at her.

"For three months," Karone agreed, her eyes flickering to him briefly before returning to Jason. "But before that I was willing."

"You were raised to believe you were evil. That's not the same thing," Andros said sharply.

Cassie frowned, sighing softly and patting Jetson soothingly as he whined. They all knew that things were going to be ... awkward, with Karone for awhile. But Zhane and Andros' determination not to let her be blamed for anything was only making things worse. "Guys," she interrupted quietly. "Not the time."

Zhane muttered something under his breath, but quieted. Andros settled for glaring at Karone, who blatantly ignored him in favor of looking at Jason, Trini, Rocky, and Adam.

Jason was giving Karone an odd look Cassie couldn't read. "You're in good company," he said finally.

Karone blinked, startled.

A wry smile tugged at the corner of Jason's mouth. "Former servant of Maligore, the flame of destruction." He pointed at Rocky and Adam. "Spell from Zedd's Hatemaster monster."

Something darkened in Adam's eyes, and Rocky slightly shuddered.

"Tommy and Kat were both brainwashed by Rita Repulsa," Trini offered. "Kim was another servant of Maligore. And they were some of our longest serving Rangers." She reached across the table to squeeze Karone's hand, which was still clenched in Andros'. "You're not the only one who's done things they regret."

Karone blinked for a moment, and her eyes seemed a little too bright. "Thank you," she said softly.

Carlos was frowning thoughtfully. "I was turned into a vampire once," he murmured. "And there was the spell on Ashley's jackets ... "

Rocky snorted. "Spells and turning evil are practically required for being a Ranger. At least on Earth."

Adam made a face. "Don't give me ideas about Rita. Please."

"Rita?" T.J. echoed with a frown.

"Another side effect of the wave," Jason explained. "Rita Repulsa, Zedd, Divatox, and a few others have been turned good. The Machine Empire is gone, along with pretty much any evil force within the nearest three galaxies."

"**Divatox** is good?" Carlos demanded incredulously.

Rocky grinned wryly. "Yeah, that's been about the usual reaction."

Cassie blinked for several moments, trying to picture Divatox as anything but ... Divatox.

"So ... what happened to all the other Rangers?" T.J. spoke up eventually, frowning. "How were you even ... ?"

"Astronema's attack was very coordinated," Trini told them as everyone pretended not to notice Karone's smile. "She chose ten major cities to attack. What she didn't know at the time, is that there **were** Rangers who still had Powers left on Earth. We couldn't just stand by and let people be hurt."

"Trini and Kat protected London," Jason added with a nod. "Kim was in Paris visiting her mother, and Aisha made it to Cairo ... somehow. No one really knows how she did it. Zack's school is in New York, and the three of us, Tanya, and Justin all still live in Angel Grove."

"You were the ones keeping the crowd back," Cassie realized.

Jason nodded again. "We all had some sort of powers left, so we made do with what we had."

"But that's not the most important part," Trini said patiently. "The wave ... it did more than just purify evil. It restored our powers."

"All of them," Adam put in.

Cassie stared at them. She wasn't the only one.

" ... You can do that?" Ashley asked slowly.

Rocky grinned faintly. "After about two years of being a Ranger, you learn that Zordon can do just about anything."

Trini smiled at that, but Cassie noted the way she squeezed Jason's arm as he swallowed hard and looked away. Adam managed a slight smile, but his eyes were shadowed.

They were grieving, she realized with a sudden pang. She hadn't known Zordon, not personally. But these were his Rangers, and they were still struggling to accept that he was gone.

She looked down at her lap, cuddling Jetson again as she tried to bury the feelings of guilt that suddenly welled.

"When you say all of them," Andros said slowly, looking wary.

"We mean all of them," Adam confirmed with a sigh. He reached behind him, placing what looked like a silver belt buckle on the table. Then he flicked his wrists, displaying a set of morphers that reminded Cassie of the Turbo Morphers. "No one's been able to figure out exactly how it works, but we've got every single Mighty Morphin Power Ranger back, and some of us are sharing Powers somehow. Then we've got the Zeo Rangers and the Ninja Powers. Justin's a Turbo Ranger again, but he said he already was." He glanced at Rocky.

Rocky shrugged. "He told me Storm Blaster wasn't talking, but whatever he did, he gave Justin a full-powered morpher."

"We know the Turbo Powers were restored too," Adam added. "But they went to you four instead of us."

Cassie frowned, automatically flicking her wrists as she focused on trying to find the Turbo Power she'd lost nearly a year ago. Her eyes widened as they appeared in a flash of pink light. "I don't understand ... " She looked up, puzzled. "Shouldn't these be Kat's?"

"We think because the Zeo Rangers had their Powers restored, the Turbo Powers **had** to go to the four of you," Trini explained. "The Turbo Powers were based off the Zeo Crystal, so our theory is that they couldn't be held by the same person."

"Gave us some interesting side effects, though," Rocky spoke up. He grinned wryly. "Apparently when Justin and I morph at the same time, we start reading each others' minds."

Zhane gave him an odd look. "That's not normal for you?"

Cassie rolled her eyes fondly as Rocky chuckled. "Not really, no. Scared me half to death when I morphed and all of a sudden I can hear Justin swearing up a storm in my head."

T.J. stared at him. "**Justin** swears?"

"As much as the Power allows," Rocky agreed with a nod. He gave another slight smile, but this time it seemed sad. "When we're morphed, we can share thoughts, and I kind of get an idea of where he's at and how he's doing. Only when I'm Blue Zeo, though. It didn't work as Red."

Carlos stared first at him, then at Adam. "That's ... really creepy."

Adam snorted, looking amused. "Thank you. I'm glad someone agrees with me."

"Sounds like you've gotten a lot done while we were gone," Andros spoke up. There was a strangely blank expression on his face, but Cassie read it as surprise and tried not to roll her eyes again. A year of fighting together, and Andros still had trouble admitting that Earth wasn't as backwards as he wanted to believe.

"There are eleven of us," Trini pointed out with a smile. "We all have our specialties, and we're used to working together. It wasn't that hard to organize."

"What have you done so far?" Zhane asked, looking intrigued.

"The major cities that were hit hardest in the attack - " Jason paused, glancing around. "Rocky, do you still have the map?"

"Got it," Adam spoke up, standing up.

He returned with a large world map, which was spread over the center of the table.

"The attack focused on major cities in major countries all over the world," Jason went on. He pointed to several spots on the map that had been circled in different colors. "Rome, Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Brasilia are in the worst shape, because there weren't any Rangers there at the time. London, Paris, Cairo, and New York are bad, but they're in better shape than the rest. Angel Grove is in the most damaged even though we had Rangers here, because it was the center of the attack. We've designated a Ranger to each city as their representative for the cleanup effort, and to monitor communications between them and us up here at the base. "

"Justin doesn't have a city," Rocky put in, "Since he can't get out much. But he sneaks up here to help out whenever he can."

"We keep one person up here at all times, in case there's any incoming calls," Trini added. "We take turns as often as we can, since most of us are in school."

Rocky grinned. "Adam got the short end of the stick, since he hasn't had much work lately."

Adam gave him a dirty look, which he ignored.

"This is amazing," Zhane murmured, looking over the map. He glanced up with a puzzled frown. "But I thought Earth was never a war zone."

"It wasn't," Jason agreed. "But like Trini said, we all have our talents."

_I think we're starting to get that_, Cassie thought wryly, looking over the map.


	4. Busted

Much love to challon86 and phantom_blue for massive amounts of help plotting this chapter, and beta work.

For challon86, because she's wonderful, and purplestripe66, because she needs something to smile about. (Dare you to picture Karone in The Shirt.)

Chapter 4: Busted

"_Welcome Christmas, Christmas day_!"

Cassie jerked awake, her hands already clenching into fists at the foreign sound. It took a moment to register that she was hearing the song from _Dr. Seuss' The Grinch_, and it was somehow blaring throughout the entire Megaship. She blinked rapidly, reaching up to rub her forehead in hopes of preventing the growing headache. Her eyes flickered to the other side of the bed, where T.J. lay staring at her.

"I vote for throwing him out the cargo bay," T.J. informed her solemnly.

She nodded slowly. "As soon as possible." She paused to stretch, sitting up slowly with a grimace. "Think Andros and Karone will help?"

"If they don't, we can always throw them out, too."

"I like that plan," she agreed. She paused to give him a hug before she stood. "Merry Christmas," she added with a wry smile.

He made a face at her. "Merry Christmas."

The megaship was more crowded this year than she'd expected it would be, she reflected as she grabbed a uniform and headed for the shower. Andros, Zhane and Karone had stayed of course, and Cassie had joined them despite Ashley's protests, because her cousin Nikki was visiting, and there really wasn't enough room at the Hammonds anymore. T.J. had moved back up to the megaship to avoid his mom and give Jake a break from their fight. He hadn't talked about it much, but from what Cassie was able to get, she was angry at him for being a Ranger, and he was mad that she was angry at all.

The thought made her sigh as she turned on the water. She didn't blame T.J.; while he loved his family, they hadn't exactly kept in touch with him very well since he'd moved to Angel Grove. But she was jealous. His family wasn't perfect, but at least he knew they cared.

She sighed, leaning her head against the shower wall. _My family __**does**__ care_, she reminded herself. _That's half the problem._

But she couldn't say she didn't miss them. This year wasn't quite as bad as last Christmas, because then she'd only known the rest of the team for two months, and while they were friends, they really hadn't known each other all that well. She'd ended up spending the day alone in her apartment with Jetson, managing a call to Christian and Kelly around mid-afternoon before Ashley showed up to kidnap her for dinner at the Hammonds'.

This year she was with her friends, which helped. Zhane had embraced the concept of Christmas with an enthusiasm that was frightening, and now the megaship was covered in every possible Christmas decoration known to man. D.E.C.A. was less than pleased, while Andros only tolerated it because Karone thought it was interesting. T.J. had just sort of looked at her and sighed, and they mutually agreed to bear the massive eyesore the megaship had become with good humor.

At least until Zhane had discovered Christmas came with its own soundtrack.

She shut off the water and reached for a towel with a sigh. The plan for this year was to put in her shift on the Dark Fortress before Ashley showed up to drag the entire team to Christmas dinner with her family. At some point she planned to try and convince herself to call Christian and Kelly again, because she hadn't spoken to them in months, and because Chris would probably like to know he didn't need to pay for her apartment anymore. She really should have called them days ago, but she'd been avoiding it because she wasn't quite sure what to say.

Reaching for her hairbrush, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Christmas always made her depressed, she acknowledge with a sigh. When she was younger it had been because she didn't have a 'real' family to celebrate it with, then it was because she knew Mom and Dad were struggling just to pay the bills, let alone buy them all presents. This year should have made her happy, because Dark Specter was gone , Karone was free, and they were all together again. But all she could think about was how big Sammy must be getting, how Paige must be driving Tony nuts, how much she missed her talks with Mitch. She looked at T.J. and wondered what her parents would have thought of her being a Ranger. Mom wouldn't yell - she never did - but would she be proud? Angry? What would Dad say?

Would they even care?

She shuddered slightly, setting down the brush and rubbing her hands over her face. _I need to get past this. I need to ... I need to go throw Zhane out the cargo bay, and cover my shift for Ranger Base._

She swallowed, straightening, and went to collect T.J. so they could find Zhane. _I need to move on with my life._

* * *

"You're all a bunch of sooges," Zhane grumbled, visibly pouting in his place at the table.

"That's scrooges," Cassie corrected absently as she took a plate of pancakes from the synthetron. "And we're not scrooges. We just don't like waking up at seven in the morning to Christmas carols trying to knock out our ear drums."

Zhane frowned. "How do they - "

"Earth-ism," T.J. interrupted, making Zhane sigh. "She means we don't like being woken up early thinking there's an attack." He took a sip of his orange juice. "I would have figured Andros would have nearly killed you for something like this a long time ago."

"He did," Zhane sulked. "But he's a lot nicer with Karone around."

Cassie gave him an odd look. "He is?"

Zhane nodded. "He won't admit it, but he's trying to set a good example and not scare her away. He doesn't know she knows what he's doing, and she thinks it's funny."

T.J. glanced toward the door. "How are they doing?" he asked quietly.

Zhane sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "It's awkward," he admitted. "She doesn't remember the last three months, and Andros is still ... " He paused, frowning as he searched for words. "He's still thinking of her as Karone, and she's still thinking of herself as Astronema," he said finally. "I've been running interference as best I can, but ... " He shrugged helplessly.

Cassie reached across the table to squeeze his hand, frowning in worry. "We'll help out as much as we can," she promised.

He glanced up at her and smiled a little. "I already knew **that**," he mocked gently, but there was gratitude in his eyes.

"Mail," Andros announced as he joined them, carrying a large mail sack, Karone following behind with another. The other three groaned.

"Why didn't D.E.C.A. sort it this time?" T.J. complained. "It makes things so much easier."

Andros gave him a look, reaching in and pulling out a smaller bag with 'Blue Ranger' printed across it. "She did."

Cassie sighed as she took the 'Pink Ranger' bag from Karone, while Zhane tore into the 'Silver Ranger' bag with glee. The fan mail had accumulated over the week they'd been on KO-35, and eventually the other Rangers had set up several P.O. boxes for the Astro team for the sanity of the post office and safety of their families. There was an individual box for each member of the team, while the letters addressed to all of them were usually given to Karone to read and answer. D.E.C.A. teleported letters and packages daily for them, scanning each for any signs of anything suspicious. Then she would sort out what she'd scanned by name, and inform the Rangers the mail had come.

Breakfast was usually the best time to go over them, even if it did take a long time. Several days of trying to read them all had taught Cassie to organize her own system: a pile of letters from children, which usually required a reply, even if it was only a thank you; a pile from older fans, which needed to be gone over carefully, because some weren't as friendly as others; and a pile from government agencies, publishers, and reporters, all requesting some sort of service, special deal, or interview. The last pile was usually mostly ignored.

"So who got the book deal today?" T.J. asked, flipping through his own stack.

"Me," Zhane answered. He waved a hand distractedly at a letter off to the side as he read the one in his hand, which had stickers all over it. "Promised me a great percentage for the inside scoop. Better than the last guy. Any stalkers today?"

"Just that one for Carlos again," Karone murmured, opening a package. Her eyebrows raised. "Someone made you T-shirts for Christmas."

Zhane looked up in interest. "Really?"

She reached in, pulling out a large red T-shirt. The front loudly proclaimed 'I defeated Astronema!' in bold white letters. She looked at her brother, the corner of her mouth twitching. "Can I have it?"

Andros stared at her, looking more than slightly disturbed. At last he shook his head, going back to his bag. "Go ahead."

Cassie laughed as Karone promptly pulled the shirt over her head. It would have been large on Andros; Karone was swimming in it. "Do they all say the same thing?"

In answer, Karone pulled out color-coded T-shirts for each of them. T.J.'s said 'I saved the world!', Carlos had 'Protector of Earth', while Zhane's was 'Intergalactic Hero'. Ashley's shirt said 'I'm the cute one!', and Cassie wondered if she'd be insulted or not.

Zhane grinned brightly as he immediately pulled his shirt on. "What?" he asked innocently as they all stared at him, amused. "You know how hard it is to find silver clothing on this planet?"

Cassie chuckled, looking at her own shirt with a wry smile. Hers was a blinding shade of hot pink she would never have personally chosen to wear, and but not nearly as big as the guys' shirts were. The lettering on the front said 'Pink is Power', which made her grin.

She was in the middle of sorting through her mail when her fingers closed on small package with familiar handwriting. Her eyes caught the name, and she froze.

"Cassie?" T.J.'s hand touched her arm. "You okay?"

"Hate mail?" Andros asked, sounding irritated. He usually received the most of it, but the others had their own share.

She shook her head slowly. "It's ... from my relatives. In Stone Canyon."

"The ones you were going to live with?" T.J. said in surprise.

She nodded, swallowing as she carefully began to open the manila envelope. "I was going to try and call them today ... "

The first thing she found was a shirt. Unlike the hideous hot pink one, this was black, with a delicate flower pattern along the right side and sleeve in pink foil. It was exactly the sort of thing she would have worn ... before, and the thought made her throat feel tight.

As she unfolded the shirt, she discovered a phone card and a brand-new pager, still in its box, wrapped inside. A note with instructions on how to use it was taped to the box in that same familiar handwriting. Underneath another person had written 'USE THIS' in bold, capital letters underlined three times.

Blinking hard, she checked the envelope and found a Christmas card, signed by them both, with a hand-written letter tucked in. The letter was Kelly's handwriting, complete with the fuchsia lipstick kiss next to her signature. The card bore the same mark, while below Christian's name he had added 'Use the damn card before I drive to Angel Grove myself just to kick your ass.'

She laughed, one hand coming up to her lips as she tried to blink back the tears. He would too, and they both knew it. Chris wasn't anywhere near as bad as Mitch and Tony in temper or overprotectiveness, but he was still determined to look out for her for some reason. Arguing the point just left them both with headaches and sore throats, and Kelly laughing hysterically at them.

"Are you okay, Cassie?"

She looked up to see that the others had all abandoned their mail, and were now watching her in concern. She managed a weak smile, shaking her head. "I'm fine," she murmured. "It's just ... I didn't realize how much I missed them, I guess."

"Why didn't you spend Christmas with them, then?" T.J. asked gently, rubbing her arm.

She shrugged a little. "I really don't know them that well. They help me out a lot, but it's not because we're close. They just ... do."

Which wasn't strictly true, but she wasn't ready to explain that. She loved her friends, but her past wasn't something she really wanted to air out in front of them.

Later she would remember that moment, and grimly acknowledge that it was the stupidest thing she could have possibly thought.

* * *

"Cassie!" Ashley greeted with a squeal, throwing her arms around her neck before the pink sparkles had even completely faded. "You made it!"

"I figured you'd kidnap me if I didn't," she teased, hugging her back. "Sorry I'm late; I was on duty for Ranger Base."

"It's fine," Ashley dismissed, waving a hand. "I'm just glad everybody's here!"

"This is a pretty big crowd," Cassie agreed warily, glancing around. Carlos had gone to greet T.J. and the others, and she could see his mom hovering just behind him. Like the Hammonds, Arsenia had known who they were since they'd returned from space, and supported them completely, but Carlos was all she had. She never held him back, but she worried, and they all knew it. Carlos never talked about it much, but Cassie had come to realize he was just as protective of his mother as she was of him.

In one corner she could see Devon and Tabitha squabbling over something, while their cousin Nikki broke them up with a stern glare. Kevin was watching a football game with a couple of relatives Cassie didn't recognize, and she could hear several people in the kitchen. Melanie breezed through long enough to smack her husband over the head with a magazine, much to the amusement of everyone around him, and flash Cassie a smile before disappearing again.

Cassie smiled a little as she looked at her friends gathered in their own side of the room. Karone had brought the T-shirts from this morning - still wearing the one she'd taken from Andros - and Ashley was wrinkling her nose at her own. Zhane said something that made her smack his arm while everyone laughed.

She shook her head with another rueful smile, already moving to join them. It still hurt to think a little to see the Hammond family laughing together, or Arsenia shyly talking with Melanie while occasionally glancing at Carlos, but Chris and Kelly's package had helped. They weren't family exactly, but they were the closest thing she had now outside the Rangers. She hadn't been able to call them yet because of her shift on the Dark Fortress, but she promised herself she'd call tomorrow.

Her eyes moved across the living room again almost absently, sweeping over each face out of habit more than anything. It was something she'd started doing as a Ranger, because you could never tell where the Monster of the Week or a Piranhatron - or Quantron - patrol might be hiding. It was better to be safe than sorry.

She actually passed over the woman in the corner near the door before her face finally registered. When it did, she froze, her heart leaping to her throat. It couldn't ... she **couldn't** be here ...

Slowly, she turned to stare.

The woman stared back at her.

She was moving before she was even aware of it, stopping only when her back hit the wall. There were people calling her name, someone was trying to touch her arm, but it didn't matter. She closed her eyes, shaking her head as she tried to block the image from her mind. It couldn't ... she couldn't be ...

"No no no no no ... "

She barely acknowledged the words as her own.

There were more people talking, trying to catch her attention. She kept her eyes closed, head bowed, wrapping her arms around herself and shuddering. _This can't be happening. Not now. Not after everything._

One voice cut through the din around her.

"Cassandra."

She shuddered again, feeling tears slip down her cheeks anyway. "No," she mumbled. "No."

"Look at me, Cassandra."

She shook her head. She didn't want see. She couldn't.

"Cassandra Christine, look at me."

The voice was one she'd heard and responded to for six years. But that wasn't what made her finally force herself to look up. The tone was firm, but there was no anger in it.

She raised her head slowly, daring to hope.

Amy Reynolds stared back at her with the tender, loving expression she'd dreamed of for over a year. One hand reached out slowly, gently cupping Cassie's cheek. "Cassandra, whatever this is, we'll fix it," she promised quietly. "We'll make it work."

Cassie burst into tears, throwing herself into the woman's arms with a sob. "**Mom**!"


	5. Who knew?

At some point, the plot to this will actually surface again, I swear. -Eyes Cassie- In the meantime, I give you lots of CassieAngst.

More love to phantom_blue for beta!

Chapter 5: "Who knew?"

It was morning, but she didn't care. She was warm, and tired, and generally wrung out, and she decided she wasn't moving. Moving meant getting up. Moving meant facing the world, and dealing with everything that had happened last night.

She wasn't moving for anything less than a Ranger emergency. And it better be dire or someone was going to be in a lot of pain.

A hand touched her head, gently brushing her hair back from her face. "I know you're awake."

The voice, combined with the touch and familiar words made her eyes sting. "M'not," she mumbled into her pillow.

"Are," the voice teased back, and she felt a pair of lips press against her forehead. "Time to get up, Angel Face."

She wrinkled her nose at the old nickname, at last cracking open an eye. "I hate that name," she informed her mother irritably.

"But it always gets you up," Amy mocked with a grin.

She rolled over with a groan, burying her face in the pillow. "I don't wanna get up. I'm tired."

Hands ghosted over her sides, tugging lightly on her blankets. "I'm not asking if you want to. I'm telling you it's time to get moving."

She closed her eyes, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat.

The hands paused. "Cassandra? Talk to me, Angel."

"I don't want this to be a dream," she whispered into the pillow, her voice choked. "But I don't want it to be real, either."

There was a soft sigh as the bed shifted, and she felt a body press against her side. One arm wrapped around her back, while the other reached up to stroke her hair again. "We can't fix it if you don't talk to me." Amy paused. "Is this like with Mitch?" she asked carefully, and the arm around her tightened slightly.

Her head shot up in indignation, and she glared tearfully at her mother. "No! Of course not! I love Sammy, but I do **not** want another one of Dad's abstinence lectures!"

Amy didn't say anything, but Cassie could see some of the tension fading from her shoulders. "Then what is it?" she pressed. "What was so bad you couldn't even talk to us about it?"

Cassie stiffened, looking away. "I ... Do we have to do this now?" she managed finally.

_Do we have to do this __**ever**__?_

Amy studied her for a moment, at last letting out a sigh and nodding slowly. "You don't have to tell me right now," she said finally. "But I need you to at least be honest with me. Was it us? If you want another family - "

"**No**!" Cassie cut in, horrified. She threw her arms around her mom, clinging tightly. "Don't - don't send me back, Mom, **please** - "

"Cassandra," Amy soothed, rubbing her back. "Calm down."

"I'm sorry," she choked. "I'm so, so sorry. Please don't. I'll - I can - " She floundered, trying desperately to think of something she could do to keep her parents from putting her back into the system.

"Cassandra, stop," Amy interrupted firmly. She pulled away, grabbing Cassie's chin and forcing her to look up. "Angel, I love you. You know that. But if you're not happy I need to know."

"That wasn't why!" Cassie burst out. She blinked harshly. "This is all so messed up," she muttered finally, reaching up to rub a hand over her face.

Amy's hand came up to rub her back. "So it wasn't because you weren't happy with us?"

Cassie shook her head. "I love you," she whispered, tears pricking her eyes. "I love you all so much, and ... I missed you."

The hand moved up to her shoulders, pulling her into a one-armed hug as her mother kissed her temple. "We missed you too, Angel," Amy murmured. She turned, tilting Cassie's face up, and brushing the tears in her eyes away with her thumbs. "You're my precious Angel Face, and I love you so much."

"Mom ... " she groaned, half-laughing, half sobbing. She leaned forward, letting their foreheads rest against each other. Her eyes closed, and she took a moment to breathe in the flowery scent of her mother's shampoo.

A soft knock on the door broke the quiet, and Cassie's head snapped up as she tensed instinctively. "Come in," she called warily.

Ashley poked her head in. "Morning," she offered tentatively. "Breakfast is ready, if you want to join us."

"Sure," Cassie answered automatically, moving to stand and stretch. "Are the others coming?"

Ashley seemed startled, but she nodded slowly. "I can invite them. I wasn't sure ... "

Cassie stepped forward to take her hands, frowning. "Ash, my mom being here doesn't change anything. You know that, right?"

Ashley looked at her blankly. "I'd better go call the guys," she said eventually, pulling away and closing the door behind her.

Cassie stared after her, stung.

* * *

Breakfast was painfully awkward. Melanie had made a large meal for them all, and she had Kevin had joined them, but Devon, Tabitha, and Nikki had gone 'out' for the morning she was told. Melanie and Amy made strained conversation while the Rangers passed around plates in silence. Cassie picked at her food, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

_This is all so wrong_, she thought dully. _It was never supposed to be like this._

A hand poked her side, startling her into looking up. She met Zhane's eyes as he frowned at her. "You need to eat more."

The familiar words made her smile weakly. Had it only been a few days ago when he last said that? T.J. and Zhane were always picking at her for not eating as much as she should. "Sorry," she said softly, unable to think of anything else to say.

"We'll make it okay."

She looked up again, blinking, and Zhane gave her a winning smile. "I'm still willing to do assassinations."

She started to giggle; she couldn't help it. She leaned her head against his, wrapping an arm around his neck. "You're the best, Zhane," she murmured.

He gave her a hug before tilting his head a little so she could see his brown eyes peering into hers. "So ... does that mean you'll tell what's going on? 'Cause I don't get it."

She sighed, and his arm tightened. "It's ... hard to explain," she told him quietly, speaking just loudly enough for the rest of the table to hear. "I'm not sure where to start."

"Why you lied to us would be nice," T.J. spoke up, and while his eyes were narrowed, his voice was calm.

She frowned, sitting up. "I didn't lie," she said sharply. "I **do** have relatives in Stone Canyon, and that's where I was going until ... well, everything."

"Stone ... ?" Amy paused, realization dawning. She frowned slightly. "You were going to Christian and Kelly?"

Cassie shrugged. "I didn't know where I was going at first," she admitted. "When I left, I wasn't thinking straight. I don't even remember why I called Chris now. I think it was because I was supposed to call him days ago, and I hadn't yet. But when I did, he made me tell him where I was and ... " She sighed, reaching up to brush her hair out of her face. "He told me to come to them. Bought me the bus ticket and everything." She glanced at T.J. "When I called and told him I couldn't make it, he wanted to know where I was now, and I just told him I really liked Angel Grove. So he and Kelly paid for an apartment, and got me into school - "

"I can't believe I didn't guess that," Amy muttered, looking annoyed with herself. "If anyone would have had the connections, it would have been Christian."

" ... Who's Christian?" Ashley asked hesitantly.

Cassie smiled a little, feeling sad. "Christian and Kelly used to be in a home with me when I was little. We were living with this really strict family. When Chris and Kelly started liking each other as more than brother and sister, the family flipped and threw us all out. It wasn't their fault, but Chris always blamed himself for me losing a home." She glanced at her mom. "He didn't believe it was the best thing that could have happened to me."

" ... Home?" Karone repeated slowly, puzzled.

"Foster care home," Cassie told her, fists clenching under the table. "The foster care system puts kids without families into new homes for them to grow up in. Sometimes they work out ... " She shrugged. "Sometimes they don't."

Andros looked troubled. "You're an orphan?"

She shrugged again. "I don't know," she said honestly. "I've been in foster care for as long as I can remember."

"So you don't know who your parents are?" Zhane asked with a frown.

She shook her head. "I've never wanted to know. I don't need them. I already have a family."

"If you already had a family, why did you leave them?" Carlos asked sharply, glaring at her.

"That's - "

"It's okay, Mom," she cut in gently. The look stung, but she knew that for Carlos, **nothing** was more important than family. She sighed, looking down at her lap. "I thought I had to leave," she said quietly. "And I thought it was better that I left on my own than ... " She blinked, eyes burning briefly, and forced herself to look up again. "So I went to my relatives in Stone Canyon, and then I stayed here because ... I have family here now, too."

She could see Ashley and Zhane softening at the admission. Karone looked confused, but then she hadn't been with them for long enough yet. Andros was probably confused too, but more because like Carlos, family was the most important thing in the world to him, and he couldn't imagine leaving them voluntarily. T.J. seemed unhappy, but not as angry now.

Carlos was still staring at her. "Who knew?" he asked finally.

She didn't pretend to misunderstand. "Christian and Kelly knew I was leaving, but not why. I've never told anyone in Angel Grove anything. Even Dimitria never knew."

That seemed to placate him a little. "So it wasn't just us?"

"If I was going to tell anyone, it would have been the team," she told him honestly. She sighed, shrugging a little. "I just wasn't ready to tell anyone. Even after I started to regret leaving, I couldn't go back. It wasn't safe."

That got a grim nod, and Ashley glanced at her parents, biting her lip. They all knew what happened when there was someone for the enemy to use against you.

"Not ... safe?" Amy asked slowly.

Everyone at the table turned to stare at her. "You **did** know Cassie's a Power Ranger ... right?" Ashley asked warily.

Amy's eyes widened. "Are you - you mean it's **true**? I thought that was - " She looked at Cassie, eyes sweeping over her. "You ... "

Cassie gave her a weak, uncertain smile and flicked her wrist, summoning her morpher. "I've been a Ranger since the beginning of October last year. I was the Pink Turbo Ranger, now we're the Astro Rangers."

_Please don't hate me_, she begged silently. _Please, __**please**__ don't hate me._

The next thing she knew, she was being squished into her mother's shoulder. "I'm going to murder you," Amy muttered in her ear. "And then I'm going to let your father murder you. And then I'm feeding you to your brothers."

Cassie blinked. "You're ... not mad?" she asked tentatively.

"Mad? I'm furious!" Amy pulled back enough to glare at her. "My daughter's been putting her life on the line for a **year** and I didn't even know! I've seen the news reports. You could have - " Her breath caught suddenly, and Cassie was yanked close again. "You're grounded. You're grounded until you're fifty. And then you're on probation for another forty."

Cassie blinked slowly. A reluctant smile began to spread across her face. "Can I get out early for good behavior?"

"No."

There was a pause, and for a moment she was sure she heard Ashley giggling. Then her mother pulled back again, giving her an odd look. "Did she just call you Cassie?"

Cassie bit her lip. "Yeah ... I've been going by Cassie Chan."

Amy stared at her. "You **hate** Cassie. The last time your brother called you that, you stuffed tuna down his pants and locked him in the pantry."

She ducked her head, trying to hide her grin. She could still remember how high Tony's voice had gotten. "I got used to it?" she offered.

"So ... your name **isn't** Cassie Chan?" Zhane asked, sounding confused.

She shook her head. "It's actually Cassandra Reynolds. I never let anyone call me Cassie before T.J."

"Should I feel honored?" T.J. wondered, giving her a wry look.

"Considering you're still breathing, yes," Amy informed him. "The worst fights Cassandra and Tony ever got into were over him trying to call her Cassie. There was usually blood by the time they were separated."

"Who's Tony?" Ashley asked curiously.

"One of my brothers," Cassie answered. "I have two older brothers, a younger sister, and a nephew." She paused, and groaned softly. "Tony's never going to speak to me again."

"Possibly," Amy agreed, reaching out to run a hand over her hair. "Sammy, on the other hand, you may have to pry off with a crowbar. He's missed you like crazy."

She smiled sadly. "How big is he now?"

"Small enough to carry, but not for much longer," Amy told her with a understanding look, dropping the hand to squeeze her shoulder. "You can barely see his eyes anymore under all that hair, but Mitch won't let me cut it."

The thought made her smile widen. She'd always loved her brother with long hair. She wouldn't have wanted him to cut Sammy's, either.

"You can use our phone if you'd like," Melanie offered. She smiled gently when Cassie looked up in surprise.

Cassie bit her lip again anxiously. She glanced at her mom. "I'm not sure I'm ready," she admitted softly.

Of all people, it was Andros who brought the phone to her. His expression was solemn when she looked up at him. "You never know how long you have," he said quietly. "Don't do something you'll regret." His eyes flickered to Karone.

Cassie swallowed hard. After a moment, she dialed the number she still remembered with trembling fingers. By the time she raised the receiver to her ear, she was shaking. She felt Zhane's hand on her shoulder, and she reached up to grip it tightly.

"Reynolds Residence," a familiar voice answered.

Tears welled in her eyes. " ... Dad?"


	6. Monolog

Thanks to Starandrea, it is firmly embedded in my mind that the megaship's observatory exists only for sleepovers. This one's for you, Stars. ^_~

Chapter 6: Monolog

"We should do this more often."

Cassie glanced over at Zhane, who was laying back on his sleeping bag, staring at the open skylight. There was probably a more official name for the giant window in the roof, considering she wasn't sure spaceships technically **had** skylights, but she couldn't be bothered to actually ask. He had one arm tucked behind his head, the other reaching up to point at something with his finger.

"Motion seconded," Ashley murmured sleepily, her voice slightly muffled against Andros' chestS

"Motion passed," T.J. agreed. "Zhane, what are you doing?"

"Drawing constellations," Zhane said absently. "I think I'm gonna name this one 'Zhane Wins At Life'."

There was a soft snort from Ashley, and she raised her head enough to look at him. "You know, most people name constellations after mythical people or objects."

"I'll call it Zhane for short," he decided, ignoring her.

"MiniZhane," Carlos offered with a smirk.

"MiniZhane," Zhane agreed.

Andros shifted, squinting at up to see what Zhane was pointing at. "I think they call it 'Orion' in this galaxy," he said dryly.

"Not anymore. Now it's MiniZhane," Zhane informed him.

Cassie grinned, rolling over onto her stomach to hug her pillow as she looked over her friends. They'd decided to spend the night together on the megaship, since Cassie hadn't been available as much in the last few days with her mom around, and Ashley and Carlos had been kidnapped by their own families for most of the week. T.J. hadn't said anything, but she'd gotten the impression he was feeling a little lonely.

The suggestion for the observatory sleepover had come from Andros, oddly enough. He'd said something about needing more room now, which made her suspect he and Zhane were still forcing Karone to share one of their rooms at night. Dragging her blankets up here had been a pain, but she was glad she had now. There was something calming about being back with the team, surrounded by stars.

"Can I use my hands yet?" Carlos spoke up, looking irritated.

Ashley sat up, reaching for him. "Let me see," she commanded. She studied his hand for a moment, pressed his fingers to her lips briefly, then nodded in satisfaction. "You're dry."

"Thanks," he said wryly, looking down at the hot pink and black polka dots on his fingernails. His feet were bare, revealing that his toes had been painted to match.

"Who's turn is it?" T.J. asked, taking another sip of the dark purple sludge Zhane had given him from the synthetron. He swore it wasn't that bad, but Cassie wasn't sure she believed him.

"Mine," she answered, turning her attention back to Zhane. "Truth."

"Dare," he returned.

"I'm not giving you any more dares," she argued. "Nothing ever embarrasses you." Then she paused, frowning. "Is there anything you've done that you're actually embarrassed about? And what was it," she added before he could protest.

Zhane was silent for a moment, frowning. "I was seven," he said at last. "Uncle was trying to make me take a bath, and I didn't want to. He got me undressed, and I made a break for it while he was running the water." He paused. "I ran into the middle of a formal meeting between my parents and the Kerovian government representatives."

"Your parents?" Karone asked, tilting her head curiously.

"The Kerova Rangers," he told her. "They had the morphers before we did. My dad was the Yellow Ranger, my mom was Blue. The other four were all uncles and aunt by blood or marriage."

Cassie hid a smile as Ashley and T.J. exchanged glances. Zhane had told them about his family before, on another night like this, but it still weirded the two of them out to know that Zhane thought they should have traded morphers.

Personally, she thought it was sort of funny.

"So you were naked in front of a bunch of government officials?" Ashley asked finally, looking amused.

The corner of Zhane's mouth quirked. "Six. And my parents. And both uncles and my aunt. I went into shock, burst into tears, and had to be carried out of the room because I was starting to hyperventilate."

T.J.'s eyebrows went up. "This is **you **we're talking about, right?"

Zhane made a face at him, which faded into a slight smile after a moment. "My mother told me later that I only have something to be ashamed of if I let myself." He shrugged. "I've lived by that rule ever since."

"Which explains a lot," Carlos said dryly.

Zhane ignored him, turning his attention to T.J. "Truth or dare?" he asked eagerly. Of the three Kerovians, he'd been the one to eagerly embrace the concept of the game.

T.J. hesitated. "Dare," he said reluctantly, eyeing his drink warily.

Zhane's smirk widened. "I dare you to strip down and teleport to Earth for one minute. Someplace with snow."

T.J. frowned suspiciously. "Naked?"

"You can wear those ... under thingies you Earthians like," Zhane said dismissively. "But you have to stand in the snow for the whole minute before D.E.C.A. can teleport you back."

T.J. looked at him for a long moment. At last he sighed and stood up, pulling off the T-shirt he'd been wearing for bed. "If someone takes a picture of me doing this, you'd better watch where you sleep," he warned.

Zhane smiled. "D.E.C.A., send T.J. to that ... Al place."

T.J.'s eyes went wide. "Alaska?"

"That's the one!" Zhane crowed, pointing at him.

"Teleporting," D.E.C.A. said calmly.

T.J. dissolved into blue sparkles, sputtering, as Zhane blew him a kiss goodbye and waved.

"That was cruel, Zhane," Ashley protested.

"Then why are you laughing?" he retorted, grinning at her.

"I'm not," she argued, ducking her head and biting her lip to hide her smile. "I'm going to go get another blanket for T.J. when he gets back."

Zhane rolled his eyes. "D.E.C.A., would you - " He stopped as a thick, down comforter appeared in front of him. " ... Thanks."

Ashley moved to shake the comforter out, muttering under her breath as she got tangled up in Andros' shirt. One of T.J.'s earlier dares had been for Andros to switch shirts with her, leaving Ashley drowning in red turtleneck. The problem wasn't the shirt itself; it was spandex, and it hugged her curves just fine. The sleeves on the other hand, nearly covered her hands.

Andros meanwhile, was a bit too broad-shouldered to pull Ashley's tiny spaghetti strap tank top on all the way, and had left it hanging around his neck instead. T.J. had tried to protest that it wasn't within the rules of the dare, but Ashley threatened to hurt them both if they ruined her shirt. Zhane had laughed himself sick at the sight.

T.J. reappeared, arms wrapped around himself and shivering violently. Ashley immediately wrapped him up in the comforter, rubbing his arms to try and get him warm. "Th-th-thanks," he stuttered, teeth chattering as he glared at Zhane.

"Why don't you go ahead Andros, and we'll come back to Teej," Cassie offered quickly, standing to wrap one of her own blankets around T.J. and draw him in a tight hug. He gave her a grateful look.

Andros frowned in thought, studying Ashley carefully. "What was your worst moment as a Ranger?"

Ashley paused. "Worst thing I've done personally?" she asked slowly. "Or worst thing that's happened to me while I've been a Ranger?"

He shrugged. "Worst that's happened, I guess."

There was a long moment of silence as she thought about it, absently rubbing T.J.'s arms again. "It's hard to say one was so much worse than the other," she said at last. "But I guess the worst was when the Quantrons were gone, but we thought you were ... that you weren't coming back."

She looked down, biting her lip as T.J. managed to wrap an arm around her, pulling her into the comforter with him. The action made her smile, and she peeked out at Andros. "But the best would be when all of you decided to come back to Earth with us."

Andros nodded, a very slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Do you ... " T.J.'s voice was hoarse, and he swallowed. "Do you ever regret coming back to get us, Andros?"

Now Andros was the one hesitating. "Sometimes," he admitted eventually. "I never wanted to get attached to anyone after Karone, and Zhane. But now I am." He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I ... you're my friends," he said quietly. "And I'm glad. But sometimes I wish you weren't, because then it wouldn't matter if something happened."

Karone reached out to squeeze his hand hesitantly, and Zhane shuffled over to wrap an arm around him. "I'm glad you went back for them," Zhane told him seriously. "I don't think you would have lasted much longer alone."

"I'm glad you did, too," Karone said softly. "I ... I don't think you would have, either. And then neither of us would be here now."

Cassie swallowed, glancing over at Carlos. He was watching them thoughtfully with an odd expression. After a moment he glanced up at her, and something in his face softened.

Ashley cleared her throat, and her eyes were suspiciously shiny when Cassie glanced at her. "So! Karone," she said loudly. She grinned mischievously when Karone looked up at her. "When did you get your first kiss, and who was it with?"

Karone blinked up at her. "I've never been kissed before," she said solemnly.

There was a pause, and faster than anyone could realize what was happening, Zhane leaned across Andros and kissed her.

The kiss lasted for several seconds before Andros finally came to his senses, sputtered, and shoved Zhane away. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

Zhane ignored him, giving Karone a surprisingly warm smile. "Well, now you have."

Karone stared back at him, her expression more startled than anything. Then she turned thoughtful, glancing at Carlos. "Truth or dare?" she asked, as if nothing had happened. Andros looked relieved; Zhane just seemed amused.

Carlos blinked for a moment. "Uh ... dare," he said finally.

"I dare you to kiss me."

His eyes widened, and he wasn't the only one staring at her. "W-wait - what?" he stammered.

Karone shrugged lightly, unconcerned. "I want to compare."

Carlos hesitated, eyeing Andros warily for a moment before finally crawling forward with a sigh. He pressed his lips to Karone's briefly as Ashley tried not to giggle, and Cassie grinned at the expression on Andros' face. _At least we know life will never be boring with Karone around_, she thought wryly.

Karone looked contemplative when Carlos pulled away. "Nice," she decided after a pause. "But Zhane's was better."

"Excuse me?" Carlos demanded.

She shrugged again. "Well, it was. Did you want me to lie?"

Carlos' eyes narrowed. He caught Karone's hand without warning, yanking her close and kissing her again. This time the kiss was longer, and both of them seemed more enthusiastic about it.

At last Carlos pulled away, looking triumphant. "Well?"

Karone hmmed thoughtfully. "Better." She glanced around, her expression playfully curious. "Anyone else want to kiss me?"

"Karone!" Andros protested.

Cassie shrugged, grinning. "I will," she offered casually, ignoring the startled looks Ashley and T.J. shot her. _Any excuse to give Andros a hard time, and help Karone figure something out_, she thought with a snicker.

Karone rose to her feet gracefully, lightly dodging Andros' grab for her ankle. She stopped in front of Cassie, tilting her head. "Is it different when girls kiss other girls?" she asked innocently.

"I've never kissed another girl to know if it feels different," Cassie admitted, "But some people think it's strange."

Karone looked puzzled, and Cassie leaned in to kiss her gently.

It was shorter than Carlos' second kiss had been, more along the lines of the length Zhane had given. Karone's lips were incredibly soft, and even if she wasn't attracted to the other girl, Cassie had to admit it was nice. She smiled as she pulled away, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Well?"

"Soft," Karone said after a moment, unknowingly echoing her own thoughts. "Why do people think it's strange for girls to kiss each other?"

"Because Earthians are stupid," Zhane muttered darkly.

"Because on Earth, some people think it's wrong for girls to like girls, and boys to like boys," Cassie explained, ignoring him. Zhane's issues with homophobia wasn't anything new, and she couldn't really blame him. She'd be angry too if someone was prejudiced against most of her family. "They think only girls and boys should be together."

Karone frowned. "Is it wrong?"

"No," Ashley spoke up gently, before Zhane could break into another rant. "Love is never wrong."

Karone smiled a little at that, looking sad. "I've never been loved, either," she said softly.

"That's not true." Surprisingly, it was Andros that spoke up. He was frowning at her. "Even though I didn't know who you were, I've always loved you Karone."

"It's not the same thing as romantic love," Ashley put in as Karone frowned again. "But you've always had love. You just didn't know it yet. Family love is love, too."

Karone seemed thoughtful again, but she nodded slowly.

"Now will everyone please stop kissing my sister so we can move on with the game?" Andros added irritably.

The mischievous look returned to Karone's eyes. "But Andros," she protested innocently as she knelt down beside him again. "I haven't kissed **you** yet." And before he could protest, she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Andros flushed, scowling. "Very funny," he muttered, but his hand slid across the floor to briefly touch her fingers. "Carlos, it's your turn."

"Truth or dare?" Carlos asked, glancing up at Cassie.

She glanced at between T.J., who's shivers were finally dying down, and Karone, who was still thoughtful, but seemed rather pleased with herself. "Truth."

Something in Carlos' eyes changed, and she knew in an instant she'd made the wrong choice.

"Why did you run away from home?"

She froze, breath catching in her throat. Beside her she felt T.J. stiffen, and heard Ashley gasp softly. She didn't **have** to answer; she knew they wouldn't make her. Game or not, no one had pressed her for many details about her past yet, because she wasn't ready to talk about it.

But this was her team. If she was going to tell anyone - and she knew she'd have to tell her parents someday - it would be them. Because it was the team.

"I ... " She stopped, closing her eyes, and swallowed hard. T.J.'s hand was on her shoulder, but she knew if she paid any attention to it she'd lose her nerve. "I was raised in foster care. I bounced around between homes for awhile when I was little, but I never stayed for very long. Everyone said I was a problem child." She smiled wryly, but it still hurt to think about. "I was nine when The Huangs threw us all out after they realized Christian and Kelly were dating. I guess it ruined their perfect family image. I'm still not sure why they got rid of me. Maybe they thought I was contaminated or something." She laughed softly, but it was bitter. Christian and Kelly had been the closest thing to older siblings she'd had at that point. They'd taught her was love was.

She turned to look out the window, not wanting to see her friends' faces. "I was actually put in an orphanage first. It wasn't the first one I've ever been in, but that's where I met Tony. There was a mix-up on room assignments, and we ended up sharing. We got into this huge fight over it and I gave him a black eye." This time her smile was fond. "It was an accident, but he said I was the coolest girl he'd ever met, and we were inseparable after that. Our birthdays are only a couples days apart, so we decided we were twins even though we don't look alike. He was ... my best friend."

Even now she could picture him standing in front of her, dark eyes smirking as he teased her mercilessly, despite knowing what she could - and would - do to him for it. "The Reynolds family came to the orphanage about ... not quite a year later, I think. It was just Mom and Dad that came, but Mitch and Paige were at home. They were looking for another boy to adopt." She shook her head with another wry smile. "I guess they were thinking having a younger brother to set an example for would help calm him down or something. And when they saw Tony, Mom just fell in love with him. He's a pain, but he's easy to love once you realize he's full of it," she admitted.

She reached out to touch the window with a sigh, letting it cool her fingers. "Tony told them he wasn't leaving without me. He said twins don't abandon each other." She flinched slightly at the thought. "I told him he was being stupid and he should go with them before he was stuck there forever, and we ended up fighting again."

Her smile was soft now, remembering that day. "Dad had to separate us and he didn't exactly get out of it without injuries of his own. He and Mom just sort of looked at each other, and then smiled and said it'd be a shame to break up a set." She swallowed again, eyes burning. "By the end of the week, they were signing paperwork to bring us home.

"It wasn't - " She stopped shaking her head. "They never planned for four, you know? Things were supposed to be stretched with three, but they were going to try and make it work. They never counted on me. And it was great for awhile. Paige and I ... well, I never had a little sister. I was always the youngest. Mitch wasn't happy about us at first, but we grew on him after awhile. He helped me get into half the trouble I was in when I was a teenager, and he was the first one to yell at me for the rest. Mom and Dad always treated us like we were a family, no matter what."

She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself and turning to lean against the window as she stared out at the stars. "And then Sammy was born.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Sammy. He's the sweetest kid you ever met." A faint smile touched her lips at the memory of those pudgy arms and big blue eyes, begging for attention. "None of us even thought Mom and Dad would let Mitch stay when Sammy showed up, but they did. They treated Sammy like he was their own grandson. And being a dad really turned Mitch around in a way being an older brother never did. He finally cleaned up and started trying to be responsible. Mom used to say she was proud of the result, but the process left a little something to be desired." She grinned a little as tears pricked her eyes.

After a moment the grin faded, and she let out another quite sigh. She was stalling the answer to Carlos' question, and she knew it. It helped to let them know she **did** care, but it wasn't really what he'd asked. The problem was that she still wasn't ready to say it.

So she said it anyway.

"I walked in on my parents talking about bills one day." She took a deep breath, trying not to let her hands shake. "Mom was in tears; she didn't know how they were going to pay the mortgage. Dad was trying to calm her down, and he said ... " Her voice caught, and she closed her eyes again, forcing herself to continue. "He said they knew when they brought Tony and I home that things were going to be hard, but they'd make it work somehow. Even if he had to take another job, they'd find a way. And Mom - " The sob escaped before she could stop it. "Mom was scared that social services was going to take us away. Mitch was too old to go back by then, but he didn't have a full-time job, so he'd lose Sammy. Paige has been with Mom and Dad for most of her life, she doesn't even remember what it's like to be in foster care. And Tony ... "

There were arms wrapped around her from behind, squeezing tight as someone's head leaned against her shoulder, but she couldn't pay attention to them or she'd never finish. "I threw everything I had in a bag, and I ran," she whispered, eyes burning. "Tony was the one they wanted first, he deserved to stay. And Mitch and Paige and Sammy all needed them more than I did." Her throat tightened. "The next thing I remember is Chris telling me he was buying me a bus ticket."

She reached up to brush at her eyes, trying to pull herself together. Crying wasn't going to change what had happened. "I never wanted to leave," she managed, still trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "But I couldn't stay, either."

There were hands pulling at her now, drawing her into a hug between what seemed to be T.J. and Ashley. T.J.'s comforter ended up around her at some point, and she grasped at it automatically. Zhane's hand was on her shoulder, and even Andros and Karone seemed to be trying to offer awkward attempts at making her feel better.

But it was Carlos who finally caught her attention again, staring at her with regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, tugging the blanket higher around her shoulders.

She sniffled and offered him a watery smile. "It's okay," she whispered.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling.

She was only partially successful.


	7. Hello & Goodbye

I don't like the beginning of this chapter. But the ending gets better. I think.

And BikerKim could totally happen okay?! -Glares at phantom_blue and Challon86-

Chapter 7: Hello & Goodbye

"Are you nervous?" Ashley whispered, leaning in close as they waited for the guys to finally join them.

"No," Cassie lied. "Of course not."

Of course she was. The only former Rangers they'd known were Justin, Kat, Tommy, Adam, and Tanya. She'd only met Jason, Trini, and Rocky briefly, and supposedly there were three more people going to this party she hadn't met yet. What was she supposed to say? Was there some sort of ... initiation speech or something she was supposed to make or something?

It was supposed to be a Rangers Only New Year's Eve party. The invitations Rocky had given them warned that there were no excuses for not coming baring monster attack, and as the person who'd been sending them had an invitation of her own, they were pretty much required to go. The party was being held at Jason and Rocky's apartment, which was somewhere in downtown Angel Grove. None of them were exactly sure where it was, so D.E.C.A was teleporting them directly to the address they'd been given.

"Sure," Ashley muttered, eyeing her in amusement.

She sighed, briefly squeezing the other girl's hand before turning to greet the guys with a smile, and Karone, who was trailing after them listening to Andros and Zhane argue.

"We don't even really know half these people," Andros demanded. "Why are we even going?"

"Because we're Rangers, and Rangers are supposed to be family," Zhane explained patiently. "Even if we're on separate teams, we're all still Rangers."

"It's a bonding experience," T.J. spoke up behind them, putting a hand on Andros' shoulder with a determined expression. "You're going to meet people, and you're going to like it."

Carlos smothered his grin with a cough, looking amused as Andros glared at T.J.

"So!" Ashley called brightly. "Are we all ready?"

"Yup!" Zhane returned cheerfully, ignoring Andros' scowl and Karone's uncertain frown. "Let's get this show on the glider."

Carlos paused to give him an odd look. "What?"

Zhane blinked at him. "That Earth-ism T.J. uses about shows? But we don't have a road, since we use gliders so - "

"Nevermind," Carlos cut in, holding up a hand and shaking his head. "I don't want to know after all."

Cassie chuckled, reaching for her morpher. _This should be an interesting night._

* * *

"You guys made it!" Rocky greeted brightly as he opened the door. "Come on in!"

Cassie offered him a hesitant smile as she passed, glancing. There were only twelve people, but the room still seemed crowded somehow. She barely had time to notice the way they'd gathered in small groups before a blur of pink and blond assaulted her. "Cassie!"

She blinked, automatically moving to hug back. "Kat?"

Kat stepped back to smile at her warmly. "It's so good to see you again! How have you been?"

"Busy," she said wryly, and Kat laughed.

"I suppose so." Kat grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and directing her along. "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."

" ... Okay?"

Within moments, she was presented with a tiny brunette woman sitting at the bar, sipping what looked like a pink smoothie. "Cassie, this is Kimberly. She was the Pink Ranger before me," Kat explained. "The first Pink Ranger for Earth."

"It's an honor," Cassie told her sincerely, feeling more than a little awkward.

Kimberly rolled her eyes with a smile, setting down her drink. "Call me Kim. I swear they say that just to make people scared of me," she complained.

Her expression made Cassie relax a little. "I like your jacket," she offered.

Kimberly's face lit up. "Thank you!" she said brightly. "Everyone else keeps telling me I look weird," she added, making a face at Kat.

Kat sighed, giving her an amused smile. "We're still not used to you with the whole leather biker look Kim, that's all."

"I'm not a biker chick!" Kimberly protested indignantly. "I have **one** leather jacket. **One**. And did you see my baby? How could I resist her?"

"Kim owns the pink Kawasaki Ninja outside," Kat explained to Cassie. "She's gotten Jason and Tommy into a debate about the Power making us all into adrenalin junkies."

"That's not why I bought her," Kimberly sniffed, but she reached for her smoothie without meeting anyone's eyes.

Cassie frowned thoughtfully. "You guys had motorcycles?"

Kimberly glanced up and nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "The Shark Cycles. What'd you have?"

"Galaxy Gliders," Cassie told her with a grin. "Think flying surfboards. Zhane's can turn into the Silver Cycle, but he's the only one."

"That is **so** not fair," Kimberly groaned.

"Hey, Cassie," a familiar voice greeted.

Cassie jumped slightly, turning to see Tanya smiling at her. "Hi," she returned automatically, trying not to sound flustered.

"So, Ashley was telling me you sing?" Tanya went on.

"You do?" Kimberly looked delighted. "So do I!"

Cassie blinked, feeling a bit overwhelmed at how … open and friendly they all were. "Yeah. I do," she managed. "I um, was actually thinking of trying to get into music before ... " She lifted her wrist to display her morpher, shrugging ruefully. "Well, you know."

Tanya laughed. "Oh yeah, we know. So." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "We should get some karaoke going, don't you think?"

"And that's my cue to move on," Kat said quickly, stealing Kimberly's glass from the counter as she hurried off, calling "T.J.!"

"Hey! My smoothie!" Kimberly cried in protest.

* * *

"You know," Cassie spoke up, eyeing Andros over the rim of her glass of sparkling cider, "It's kind of ironic that Karone's being more social than you are."

The look he gave her in return could have frozen fire.

"That doesn't work on me anymore," she informed him. "I know you too well."

He humphed, looking down at his own glass. He'd gotten increasingly less friendly as the night wore on, and Cassie suspected it had to do with the forced interaction they'd all been dragging him into. Normally they would have respected Andros' need for space, but these were Rangers, and Zhane had been right: it was important to make friends with them. Besides, they owed them all for taking care of Earth while the Astro Rangers had gone back to help KO-35. Andros may not like it, but he was going to have to learn to get along with them someday.

She glanced around the room, needing a moment just to take in everything around her. She'd been on and off 'stage' for the last two hours, trading off with Kim, Tanya, and even Aisha and Kat at one point after a great deal of prodding. Tanya was up now, singing something that she distantly recognized. Zack and Kat were in front of her, having what seemed to be some sort of strange dance-off. They looked like they were having fun though, which she supposed was what mattered. Jason, Trini, and Aisha had gathered around the bar in the kitchen and were sipping at drinks, laughing over something. Nearby she saw T.J. chatting with Tommy and Adam, which wasn't much of a surprise; he'd been talking to Tommy for most of the night. She was a little startled to see Ashley curled up on one of the couches giggling with Kimberly, while Carlos and Rocky seemed to be snickering behind them over something she couldn't quite hear.

The sight of Rocky with Carlos made her frown, because Rocky had been attached to Justin for most of the party. She'd actually seen Tanya stop Ashley from joining them at one point, and even Kat had told her very quietly that Justin wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, and it was best to let Rocky deal with him. There hadn't been any explanation as to what was wrong, but she'd noticed Justin had stayed alone in the corner, scowling whenever Rocky tried to talk to him.

To her surprise, she could see Justin still in his corner, but he now was talking to Zhane, of all people. Well, Zhane was talking, at least. But Justin wasn't scowling at him, looking probably the friendliest she'd seen him all night.

_That's Zhane for you_, she thought ruefully, shaking her head. He would never admit it, but Zhane was always trying to 'fix' the people around him. She was actually sitting with Andros now because the team had been slowly taking turns keeping watch over him all night, and Zhane, who'd been the last before her, had suddenly arrived with Andros in tow, telling her he needed to talk to Rocky and Adam.

Whatever he'd needed to talk to them about must have worked though, because they'd been sneaking looks at one another for hours, but for the first time, she saw Rocky catch Adam's glance and smile. Adam seemed startled, then slowly smiled back.

_What's going on with those two, anyway?_ she wondered, glancing back at Andros. _And why would Zhane care?_

She tried not to sigh. Andros was clearly brooding, judging by the way he'd been staring at his mostly-full glass of cider for several minutes now. "Okay, what did that glass ever do to you?"

Andros started slightly, glancing up at her and frowning.

She reached out to put a hand over his. "Come on, Andros. Talk to me. It's obvious something's bothering you."

For a moment, she thought he was going to ignore her. Zhane was his confidant, and he and Ashley had always been the best at prying information out of him. But then he sighed quietly and began to trace the condensation on his glass with a fingertip. "On Earth ... You call today ... New Year's, right?"

She blinked, confused. "Yeah, it's New Year's Eve. At midnight we celebrate the beginning of another year."

He nodded once, still staring at the glass. "On KO-35, today is the beginning of the Festival of Remembrance. It's ... it's our time to remember those who have given their lives for our world, for the greater good."

Guilt swelled at the way they'd been pushing him tonight. "We have something like that," she said softly. "It's in November, but we call it Veteran's Day. It's for honoring people who've protected us." Which was probably the simplest explanation she could give him, but she thought he'd understand.

Then she frowned a little, glancing at Zhane, who was still chattering away at Justin. Justin had an expression that was somewhere between exasperated and amused. "Why isn't Zhane ... ?"

"Zhane's celebrating your holiday because we're on Earth," he answered dully. "And the festival lasts for a few more days - your new year is only tonight." Then he let out a long, slow sigh. "And Zhane doesn't ... he didn't ... " He stopped, shaking his head, and for a moment she could have sworn there were tears in his eyes.

"Andros?" she asked softly, leaning in closer. "What's wrong?"

His eyes closed, and his expression was oddly pained. "I was remembering Zordon," he said finally.

Cassie stared at him, heart sinking. He hadn't talked much about Zordon's death, but she knew it hit him harder than he'd wanted to admit. Swallowing, she searched for something to say.

"You knew Zordon?"

She looked up, startled, to find that most of the conversation had stopped and everyone was watching them. Aisha had been the one who'd spoken, judging by the hopeful look on her face as she took a step forward. The former Rangers all seemed surprised, if not curious at the idea.

When she looked back at Andros, a dark expression had come over his face. "I knew him," he said eventually. "He ... " He hesitated, his eyes flickering up toward Zhane, who was frowning, before he looked away again. "I knew him well," he said again.

Cassie felt another pang of guilt. "Andros - "

"How ... " Jason stopped, audibly swallowing, and tried again. "How did he ... ?"

There was a long moment of silence. " ... I did what I had to," Andros whispered, so soft she barely heard him. If the rest of the room hadn't fallen silent, she probably would have been the only one.

Something about his tone sent a chill down her spine. "Andros - " she started to say, reaching for his hand again.

He flinched away. "I didn't want to," he continued, his expression bleak. "But it was the only way."

"Andros, what are you talking about?" Ashley asked hesitantly, looking worried as she stepped up behind him. She tried to touch his shoulder, but he turned away again.

His eyes closed, and the look on his face made Cassie's chest feel tight. "I ... " He swallowed, looking away and clenching his eyes shut. He took a deep breath. "The golden wave ... that you all felt. It was because I destroyed Zordon's energy tube." He stopped again, finally turning to face them all. The blank expression in his eyes was frightening, and Cassie had to fight the urge to reach for him again. "I destroyed Zordon," he repeated.

No one spoke. No one moved. If she hadn't seen Zhane flinch, she might have wondered if time had actually stopped.

She wanted to cry. Not for Zordon: for all their searching, she hadn't really known him. She felt guilty that they hadn't been able to save him, but it was a distant guilt, because while she knew Zordon was important, he wasn't important to her. Andros, on the other hand ...

Andros was broken. She'd only known him for nearly a year now, but she knew that the more closed off he became, the more hurt he was hiding. And judging by the flat, glazed look in his eyes now, the pain he was holding back was almost unbearable. Cassie wasn't much for crying, not even in sympathy, but for Andros ... For Andros, she was holding back tears.

"How dare you."

Cassie jumped, startled at the sudden voice.

Kimberly was moving towards them, her eyes cold and furious. "How dare you come here?" she continued, glaring at Andros. "How dare you come **here**, pretending to be our friend, when you - " She broke off suddenly, a hand coming up to cover her mouth with a choked sob. She closed her eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks, and when she opened them again the grief in her gaze was tangible. "Zordon was like a father to us," she went on, tears still falling. "He ... ever since he came into our lives, he's made everything, each of **us** so much stronger, and better. And you ... you come here and tell us that you're the reason he's gone?! How could you!" she shouted.

Andros stood slowly, turning to face her. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. Unlike Kimberly, his tone was flat and cold.

She slapped him.

Cassie was on her feet in an instant as Ashley gasped sharply. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "What the gives you the right to - "

"What gives me the right?" Kimberly shot back. "What gives **you** the right?! I was one of the **first**. I was one of the longest-serving Rangers. I **knew** Zordon, and I loved him. I loved him **so** much." She sobbed abruptly, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. She waved a hand at them as she continued to cry. "And you just ... just ... stand there like it doesn't even matter that he's gone and - "

She looked up and froze, eyes growing wide. "Oh," she breathed.

Andros was crying.

If she hadn't looked directly at him, Cassie wouldn't have even realized he was doing it. There was no sound, and he wasn't shaking at all. His eyes had the same blank, glassy expression. But one after another, tears streaked slowly down his face.

"Andros - " Ashley touched his shoulder, looking on the verge of tears herself.

Without making a conscious decision to do so, the Astro Rangers closed ranks around their leader. T.J. had a hand on his arm opposite Ashley; Carlos had come up behind him looking worried. Karone was watching her brother anxiously beside Ashley. Zhane stood directly in front of him, hands on Andros' shoulders as he whispered softly to him.

Andros said nothing. He didn't move, didn't even seem to register that they were there. The tears continued to slip down his cheeks.

Cassie swallowed, bringing a hand up over her chest as her heart clenched.

Her eyes flickered to the rest of the room. Kimberly was now sobbing openly against Tommy, which struck her as odd for some reason. More than one person had turned away, and no one seemed willing to say anything.

It was Trini who finally stepped forward. The look in her eyes was solemn, lacking the warmth she'd had when they met. "Maybe you should go," she said quietly, and while there was no anger in her tone, it still hurt to hear.

Cassie nodded slowly. "Yeah," she forced out. "I think we've overstayed our welcome."

She reached for her morpher, keying the comm. "D.E.C.A., bring us up to the megaship, please," she murmured.

The world dissolved into pink sparkles.

When her vision finally cleared again, Andros was curled into Zhane's shoulder with that same blank expression. Ashley was crying, holding tight to Karone, who was still staring at her brother worriedly. T.J. was frowning, while Carlos began to pace.

Cassie clenched her fists, wanting to ... Rage. Scream. Cry. She didn't know.

"Zordon was my friend." Andros' voice was barely a whisper. "He was my friend, and I destroyed him."

She whirled and punched the wall.


	8. Devotion

This chapter fought me for days, until I finally gave up on my original plan for it. I'm not sure that this is better, but it seems to work well enough.

Love to challon86 for beta!

Chapter 8: Devotion

"I don't see why we're even still bothering to do this," Cassie muttered, glaring at the map. She marked another spot and reached for one of the charges they'd been working on.

On the other side of the room she heard T.J. sigh irritably. "Because we sent out a message to Earth saying that we'd get rid of the Dark Fortress. We don't need it, but we can't leave it hanging around for anyone else to use, so blowing it up is the best option we've got. We've been over this a dozen times already."

"I get that part," she snapped back. "I just meant I don't know why we're doing it **now** after - ow!" She yanked her hand back as something zapped her, cursing under her breath.

She glared down at the red skin on her fingertips as if it was the source of all her problems. Maybe if she glared long enough, everything would just magically fix itself. Andros would stop blaming himself for Zordon's death, the former Rangers wouldn't blame him either, the whole world wouldn't know who they were anymore, her family wouldn't be ...

She sighed, because she didn't even know what she wanted them to be now.

An arm came around her shoulders. "I'm sorry," T.J. said quietly. "Does it still hurt?"

"Which one?" she asked dryly, holding up both hands. The red fingers of her left were already fading to their normal color, while her right hand was still wrapped in bandages from its abrupt meeting with the wall earlier when she'd lost her temper.

To her surprise, T.J. took first her left wrist, then her right, kissing each hand gently. It made her smile a little. "Thanks," she murmured.

He squeezed her a little tighter. "No problem."

She leaned her head against his shoulder with a sigh, staring down at the map. "Are we really doing the right thing?" she asked softly. "It just seems like there's got to be a better use for the Dark Fortress. I mean, it's working great as a Ranger Base, isn't it?"

T.J. let out a slow breath. "Yeah, it has been," he agreed. "But we can't rely on the other Rangers forever. Especially now, after ... " He trailed off, and she wrapped her arms around his waist to hug him briefly.

"Yeah," she muttered, feeling bitter.

"You know I love you, right?" T.J. asked suddenly.

She looked up at him in surprise and found him watching her with a solemn expression. "You and Ash ... you're like the sisters I never had," he told her seriously.

She blinked, then slowly smiled at him. "You've been part of my family for more than a year, Teej. After everything ... " She shrugged, the smile turning wry. "How could we not be?"

He smiled back. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

She leaned her head on his shoulder again, squeezing his waist a little. "You know ... you remind me of my brother sometimes." She said eventually. "Mitch, not Tony," she added, because even if T.J. didn't know them, there was still a difference.

"How's that?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "It's the way you are with the rest of us. You both have this thing about taking care of everyone. Mitch didn't used to be like that, but since Sammy ... " She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.

"So when's your dad coming?" T.J. asked after a pause.

"Tomorrow." She swallowed. "Mom's bringing the whole family to Angel Grove for the weekend before school starts up again."

"You nervous?"

She laughed softly, turning into him a little more. "Terrified," she whispered.

He pulled her into a full hug, his chin resting on her head. "No matter what happens, you know you always have us, right?" he reminded her quietly. "If you need **anything** ... we'll be there in a flash."

She smiled, blinking back tears. "I know."

They stood that way for several minutes, her leaning on him as they just hugged. No one was looking for them just yet: Zhane and Ashley were still trying to console Andros, while Karone had taken Carlos to tour the Dark Fortress again for anything valuable they might have missed. It had only been barely an hour since they'd left Rocky's, but they were all too agitated to sit still.

"Do you miss your family?" she asked suddenly.

T.J. stiffened slightly. "I'm with my family," he reminded her finally.

She rolled her eyes, knowing he wouldn't see. "You know what I meant."

There was a long pause, and at last he sighed. "Yeah," he muttered. "I guess I do. But I'm still not ready to ... to deal with everything, you know? I'm still trying to focus on what we need to do, and having my parents rail on me about being a Ranger isn't exactly what I need to hear right now."

She nodded against his chest, because she could understand that. "My mom still can't believe it," she said quietly, smiling a little at the thought. "She said she doesn't want to think about it anymore than she has to, because it makes her want to lock me in my room for the rest of my life." Her thoughts moved on to the rest of her family, and she sighed. "I don't know what everyone else thinks about it yet. I'm scared to ask."

"Because you don't know if they'll be jealous or proud or mad or just not even care, and you don't know which is worse," T.J. whispered, and the desolation in his voice made her squeeze him tighter again.

Eventually she just nodded, because there wasn't much she could say to that.

" ... Guys?"

They both looked up.

Ashley was standing in the doorway to the glider bay, looking worried and uncertain. "Are you okay?"

They glanced at each other and shrugged. "No," T.J. said simply.

"I will be," Cassie told her. "What's up?"

Ashley bit her lip. "Well ... I was thinking. You know how Andros said today is the Festival of Remembrance on KO-35?" She hesitated. "I had an idea ... "

* * *

The side of Angel Grove Lake they'd chosen was surprisingly quiet for New Year's Eve, but most people had gone further into the park for a better view of the fireworks display. D.E.C.A. had sent them down to a more isolated beach, which helped. They could just barely hear the sound of people laughing in the distance, but it was far enough away that it wasn't distracting from what they'd come to do.

Cassie looked down at the rose-shaped candle that Ashley had given her. They probably could have found something else, but Ashley had insisted she'd rather use her Christmas present for this than anything else. At least this way they'd be used for something that mattered.

"So what do we do now?" Zhane asked, staring down at the candle cupped in his hands. The flame flickered gently in the breeze.

"There really isn't any specific way of doing this," Ashley explained, looking faintly embarrassed. "But I've seen it somewhere before, and I thought it might be a good way to honor your festival while we're on Earth."

Andros glanced up at her from his own candle, and something seemed in his face seemed to soften. "Thanks, Ash," he said quietly.

She flushed slightly, trying to smile. "Well, since this was my idea, I guess I'll go first."

She stepped to the lakeside and knelt down, pursing her lips for a moment as she stared at her candle, thinking. "For Blue Senturion," she said finally. "Wherever he is." Carefully, she placed the candle into the water, giving it a gentle push to send it further out. "Thank you for all you did for us," she added quietly.

T.J. came forward as Ashley stood up and moved out of the way. "For the Power Chamber, and the Turbo Zords," he murmured. "Thank you for all you did for us." He closed his eyes, visibly swallowing. "I'm sorry we failed you," he finished, his voice so soft Cassie would never have heard him if she hadn't been standing as close as she was.

She swallowed hard, blinking back tears of her own.

Carlos was next, squeezing T.J.'s arm as he passed. "For Zordon," he said simply. "Thank you for all you did for us." He paused, his expression darkening. "I'm sorry we couldn't do more for you."

Her throat was tight by the time she moved to take his place. "For the Phantom Ranger," she told her candle, knowing no one would be surprised by her choice. "I don't know where you are now or if you're safe, but we wouldn't be here today without you. Thank you for all you did for us."

For a moment, she watched the candle float away from her towards the others. **Was** Phantom alive? Why hadn't he come back like he'd promised? Had something happened?

"Please be all right," she whispered, heart aching. A tear finally slipped down her cheek, and she brushed it away, sniffling, as she stood.

T.J. was waiting when she moved back, wrapping an arm around her again and squeezing gently.

It was Zhane who came forward next, kneeling down in the sand as Ashley had done. "For the Kerova Rangers." His voice was soft and almost cold, and if she didn't see the shine of tears in his eyes, she would have wondered if he even cared. "I love you. I'll wait for the day we see each other again." He bowed his head, and she could see his hands were shaking as he clenched them into fists. "Thank you for all you've done for us," he choked out.

He was crying when he finally stood up, wiping ineffectually at his face. Ashley was at his side in an instant, tears in her own eyes as she hugged him. He squeezed her back, burying his face against her shoulder as he shook with sobs.

Cassie sniffled again, feeling another tear slip down her cheek. T.J.'s arm tightened again, and she found herself reaching for Carlos' hand without thinking about it.

"For Ecliptor."

The sudden voice startled her, and she turned to look at Andros as he knelt beside the water. His expression was blank again, but a wealth of emotion shone in his eyes. "You were one of my greatest enemies, and in some ways, my greatest friend. Thank you for all you did for my sister."

He glanced up as Karone's hand touched his shoulder, and she joined him in the sand. The look on her face was as empty as Andros' as she put her candle into the water. "For Dark Spectre," she said softly, and Cassie's eyes widened. "You were the only one to look at me, a tiny, weak creature with nothing special, and see the potential for what I could be. You made me Astronema, and gave me the Dark Fortress in return for my devotion to you. Without Astronema, I never would have found my brother." She reached out to take Andros' hand, ignoring the way he stared at her. "You're the reason we're all friends now, that we're all here together. Thank you for all that did for us." Then she paused, and her expression hardened. "Burn in hell," she hissed.

A loud cheer went up in the distance, and bursts of color shot up into the sky, illuminating everything around them. But Cassie continued to watch the seven tiny white candles, floating along gently on the water. "We should do this again next year," she said softly, squeezing Carlos' hand again as she leaned into T.J.'s side.

"Yeah," Carlos agreed quietly. "We should."

They watched in silence as the candles continued to burn, the fireworks continued to light the sky overhead, and Zhane continued to sob quietly in Ashley's arms.


	9. Missunderstanding

Zhane's memoirs was named by phantom_blue, because she's weird and funny and understands Zhane **way** too well. Much love to her for beta work.

Chapter 9: Missunderstanding

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" Ashley asked anxiously.

Cassie gave her a look. "Of course I want you guys there," she sighed. "I just ... " She shrugged helplessly. "I should probably do this on my own."

"You don't have to," Andros reminded her.

She smiled. "I know."

Ashley stepped forward to hug her tightly. "If you need us, we'll be right there, okay?" she persisted. "And no matter what happens, we'll be still be here."

"Ash, if you don't stop fussing she'll never go," Carlos informed her, tugging her away.

Ashley made a face. "Darn. You figured me out," she sighed, and everyone laughed.

Cassie looked at them all for a moment, her smile softening even as the butterflies in her stomach worsened. "I'll be back, you know," she pointed out. "No matter how this goes, I'll still be back at some point, even if it's just to get my stuff for the night."

"But we'll still be worried," Karone said softly.

Cassie moved to hug her just as tight as she had Ashley. "I'll call, no matter how it goes," she promised. She kissed Karone's cheek before stepping away, making the other girl smile. While it hadn't been a conscious decision, the whole team been begun showing Karone as much physical affection as they could. It was an effort to get her used to it as much as it was to make her feel welcome.

She couldn't say she really regretted it, though. By consequence, they'd all been hugging a lot more and seeking each other out when before they would have preferred to be alone. With things as uncertain as they were right now, it was hard not to look for reassurance.

She took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm really going now," she told them.

"You sure?" Carlos smirked.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes. Really going."

T.J. grinned as he came closer, squeezing her shoulder and kissing her forehead. "You'll be fine, Cassie. Tell your parents we said hi." And then he pressed the button on her morpher.

"Traitor!" she tried to shout, but the world was already dissolving into pink sparkles.

* * *

She eyed the door, but turned away again at the last minute. "I can't do this," she muttered under her breath. "Why did I ever think I could do this? I should just go."

"Honey, you've been pacing that hall for ten minutes now. You wanna tell me what's goin' on?"

She looked up, startled. "Adelle!" She winced. "I'm sorry. I'll just - "

"Hold it, young lady." Adelle put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at Cassie. "You gonna talk to me about what's got you all tied up in knots, or am I gonna have to drag it out of you?"

She sighed, reaching up to run a hand over her hair. "I'm supposed to be meeting someone here, and I'm not sure if I'm ready," she admitted reluctantly.

Adelle frowned. "Does this have anything to do with you being a you-know-what?" She glanced up and down the hallway warily, but it was thankfully empty.

Cassie smiled a little. In the few times she'd been on Earth since Astronema was defeated, there had been a select group of people who had treated the newly-identified Power Rangers the way they always had; Adelle was one of them. It was one of the reasons she'd agreed to meet her parents at the Surf Spot instead of somewhere else. She didn't need her newfound fame interfering in what was already going to be a painful conversation.

"No, it's not that," she said finally. She swallowed, hesitating. "I'm meeting my relatives. It's been awhile since I saw them last, and I just ... "

"You don't know how they're gonna take the new you, huh?" Adelle said sympathetically. "Honey, you'll never know if you don't go in there."

She let out a slow breath. "You're right."

Adelle squeezed her shoulder. "You'll be fine. You just give me a yell if you need anything, okay? I'll keep the rest of those vultures away from you in the meantime."

She gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Adelle."

"It's the least I can do."

She looked at the door again, taking a deep breath. _I can do this. I've faced down Astronema and Divatox and armies of monsters. I can face my parents._

"I'd take the monsters right now," she muttered to herself, forcing her feet the last few steps through the door and into the Surf Spot.

Her eyes moved around the room instinctively, looking for potential threats as much as the people she meeting. Thankfully there weren't many people here at the moment, although she knew that wouldn't last long. They'd probably have to find somewhere else to go soon.

"Cassandra."

The sound of her name made her jump, and she turned just in time to realize the person heading for her was her father. She forced herself to lower her arms, swallowing hard. "Dad," she said softly.

David Reynolds didn't stop, nearly barreling into her as she was suddenly yanked into a fierce hug. Then his hands were running over her hair, gripping her shoulders, holding her face as he pulled back enough to stare at her. "Baby Girl, you are in so much trouble," he murmured, leaning in again to kiss her forehead just as T.J. had less than half an hour before.

She blinked as her eyes stung. "Hi, Dad," she mumbled finally. She didn't know what else to say.

He leaned back to stare at her again, his eyes roaming over her face. She tried not to fidget. "You look different somehow," he said eventually, frowning. "I can't put my finger on it, but something's changed."

Her answering smile was slightly bitter. "Yeah. I guess you could say that."

She glanced around without waiting for him to reply, giving her mom a brief smile before scanning the rest of the room again. "We should leave before this place gets too crowded. I don't want to cause any problems for Adelle."

David frowned. "It gets that bad around you?"

She nodded, not wanting to get into detail. "Come on, I know a place."

She didn't wait for them to follow, and she didn't look back to make sure they really were. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

* * *

The park was more crowded than it should have been, but still big enough that there were places to avoid people. _The lake_, she decided. _Should be pretty quiet on the far side._ She wondered if the candles they'd sent out last night were still there, or if they'd finally sunk.

"Cassandra Christine, will you **stop**?"

A hand caught her arm, and she spun, half-raising a fist on instinct. Her mother stared back at her, startled.

She flinched slightly, lowering her fist and looking away. "Sorry," she muttered. "Reflex."

There was a long moment of silence as they stared at her, but she kept her eyes on a spot in the distance. If seemed vaguely familiar, and she wondered which monster she'd fought there.

The hand on her arm moved to touch her chin. "Cassandra." Amy's voice was gentle. "We're not mad at you."

She turned just enough to give her mom a skeptical look.

Amy smiled. "All right, so we're mad. But that's because we've been worried about you." She released Cassie's chin to tuck some hair behind her ear for her. "Because we love you."

"You really scared us, Baby Girl," David added, studying her again, "But that doesn't mean we'd stop loving you."

Cassie bit her lip, blinking hard. "I never thought you didn't love me," she whispered. "That never had anything to do with it." She swallowed, glancing away again._ Was it Crocovile?_ "I just ... I don't know what I'm supposed to say now," she confessed.

"Why don't we start with what you've been up to since we saw you last?" Amy suggested, elbowing David when he started to protest. "How did you end up in Angel Grove?"

She blinked again, grinning wryly after a moment. "It's a long story," she warned.

"We've got time," her mom promised, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple.

By the time they finally found places to sit by the lake, she'd told them how she became a Ranger, about meeting Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser, the fall of the Power Chamber and how they'd found Andros, Zhane's awakening, and even how they'd finally found out Astronema was Andros' long-lost sister.

"This sounds like the most twisted soap opera I've ever heard," her dad marveled. "Are you getting paid for this?"

She threw back her head and laughed, bracing herself on her hands for a moment before leaning forward to hug her knees again. "Not yet, but we've had plenty of offers," she told him with a grin. "Zhane's already started his memoirs. He says he's calling it 'My Life as a Power Ranger', but only because Andros won't let him use something more exciting."

"What's more exciting than life as a Power Ranger?" he wondered.

She shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Life as an ordinary person? I don't even remember what it's like to be normal now. It seems like I've been a Ranger forever."

Amy frowned. "Is it really that different?"

"You mean besides the fighting giant monsters every week part?" She ducked the swat, grinning. "Well, it's - " She stopped, frowning. "It's hard to explain," she said finally. Her eyes fell to her right hand, which had already healed completely. "We're stronger, for one." She lifted the hand for them to see. "I should have broken this yesterday, but I didn't. And thanks to accelerated healing, it's already fixed. We're faster, heightened senses, that sort of thing." She paused to think.

"It's more than that, though," she said slowly. "Like, when I walk into a room, I always have to check the exits in case I need to sneak away to morph. You always look around for a threat, like a monster in disguise, or some Quantrons hiding in a crowd."

She glanced at her communicator and found herself smiling softly. "You feel things more, too," she added softly. "When you know how easy it is to lose a teammate ... you start to spend more time showing them how much you care. If something happens, you don't want the last thing you said to them be something you didn't mean." She swallowed, thinking of when Ashley had been kidnapped by Psycho Yellow and Psycho Pink. Or Zhane, who might never have woken up at all. "Life is too precious to waste on stupid arguments," she murmured, touching the pink band on her wrist.

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to look up. "You were talking about getting another job," she informed them quietly. "Because you couldn't pay the mortgage. And Mom was worried that CPS would take everyone away, because you couldn't afford to keep us." She shrugged a shoulder, ignoring the lump in her throat. "I was the spare kid. Everyone else needs you more."

Her parents were staring at her.

"Oh, honey ... " Amy breathed.

She shrugged again. "It's okay," she tried to tell them. "I'm not upset about it. I mean, you took me in when you didn't have to, and that's always - " She stopped, swallowing, because words only seemed to make the explanation worse. "I know it wasn't your fault," she said instead. "And you did the best you could. I just couldn't do that to you anymore. If there was any way I could help take away some of the stress ... " She trailed off, staring at her knees.

_Why aren't they saying anything? Did I say something wrong?_

A hand touched her shoulder, and she could feel it shaking. Before she could say anything, she was pulled against her father's chest, squeezed so tight she could barely breathe. The word "Stupid" just barely caught her ears.

She scowled and was about to protest when one hand came up to stroke her hair, and she felt a kiss press against her head. "Beautiful, stupid, stupid, girl," her father whispered.

She pulled back enough to look at him, stunned to realize he was crying. "Dad ... ?" she asked tentatively.

His hands came up to grip either side of her face, and he glared at her through his tears. "**We** are the grownups, Cassandra," he told her hoarsely. "**We** worry about how to pay for things. You don't get to make that sort of decision for us. We **chose** to bring you home, and we **chose** to adopt you. You can't just ... " He swallowed, shaking his head, and pulled her tight against him again. "You don't get to decide you're not as important as everyone else in this family, you hear me?"

She blinked. "But I - "

"Cassandra, we love you," her mom reminded her quietly, and another hand came up to stroke her cheek. "We fell in love with you the first time we saw you, this tiny, fierce little thing fighting with your brother. We didn't bring you home with us because Tony wanted you there. We brought you home because **we** wanted you there." Her mom leaned in close, and there was another kiss to her head. "The day you disappeared was the scariest day of my life. We never **once** stopped looking for you. All we've ever wanted was for you to be back home safe, where you belong."

It was exactly what she'd wanted to hear, had wanted to hear for most of her life, and that made it hurt all the more. She closed her eyes, feeling tears spill over even though she tried to hold them back. "I'm sorry," she choked out.

"It's okay now, Baby Girl," her dad promised, pressing yet another kiss to her hair. "Everything's gonna be okay."

She shook her head, pulling away. "No, that's not - " She reached up to wipe her eyes, sniffling. "That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?" Amy asked carefully, looking worried.

She swallowed, tilting her head back to stare at the sky as she blinked away more tears. "I'm not Cassandra anymore," she said eventually. "I'm not ... I'm not the person that ran away from home fourteen months ago." She took a deep breath, looking at her mother's pained expression, her dad's complete confusion. "I'm Cassie Chan, the Pink Astro Ranger. That's the name I go to school under, the person who the whole world knows is a Power Ranger. I have friends to worry about and a planet to protect. I can't just go home like the last year never happened."

Amy blinked rapidly for a moment. "Then what do you want to do?"

Cassie sighed, shrugging helplessly. "I really don't know," she admitted. "I need to finish school, and I'd like to do that here. With D.E.C.A. and my morpher I can teleport up to the megaship whenever the guys need me, so that's not so much of a problem. And after graduation ... " She shrugged again. "I don't know what I want to do."

"Then how about this," Amy suggested, reaching out to take her hands. "You can stay here, in Angel Grove, long enough to finish out the school year." She put a hand on David's chest when he started to protest again. "But after you graduate, you come back home - at least until you turn eighteen. We can work something out with all this ... Power Ranger stuff." She squeezed Cassie's hands, narrowing her eyes. "But I want my Angel Face back where she belongs. I want the chance to know my girl again."

Cassie smiled weakly, because as much as she hated the nickname, she wasn't sure if that part of her even still existed anymore. Becoming a Ranger had changed her so much, it was hard to say what parts of her life as Cassandra were left. But her mom's offer was more than she really had any right to ask for, and she did miss her family ... "Okay," she agreed quietly.

There was a moment of silence, and at last her dad let out a long sigh. "You've really grown up," he observed.

"Sorry," she offered, feeling guilty.

"Don't be sorry," Amy scolded. "It's a good thing. It just makes us feel a little useless, is all."

Her eyes widened indignantly. "You're not useless!" she exclaimed. "You're - I wouldn't even be who I am now if it wasn't for you!"

Her dad raised his eyebrows.

She scowled at him. "T.J. wanted to go find Tommy because Kat was worried about him, and I went back to try and find my bus. And then I remembered you telling me never to leave someone in need, and I went back for him. And **that's** what made Kat pick me to be her replacement. So it's all your fault I became a Ranger in the first place." She sniffed, crossing her arms.

Her dad laughed, a loud, booming sound that gave her a warm feeling even as it startled her. He reached out to pull her against his side, rubbing her arm. "Lord, I missed you, girl," he chuckled. "You **and** your bad attitude."

She made a face at him, but the smile she was trying to hide sort of ruined the effect.

"What in the world are those?" Amy spoke up, frowning.

"Huh?" Cassie turned to look and blinked. "Hey, those are the candles we burned last night!" She scrambled to her feet, kicking off her shoes and wadding out into the water to scoop up the pair that had floated over to the shore.

"Why were you burning candles?" David asked, looking puzzled.

"We were honoring the Festival of Remembrance for Andros and Zhane. It's a Kerovian holiday." She frowned at the bowls of wax in her hands. "I thought these things would melt or something. Darn." She shrugged, reaching out for another one. "I guess we'll just have to toss them."

"Don't you dare," her mom scolded. "We can always get a new wick and melt the wax down to make another candle. All this time on your own better not have made you forget how to recycle, young lady," she added with a mock-scowl, placing her hands on her hips.

Cassie paused, turning to stare back at her mom. "What did you say?" she asked softly.

Amy frowned, tilting her head. "You **do** still recycle, don't you?"

She looked down at the candles again, blinking. "Mom," she said slowly, "You're a genius."


	10. Small Talk

When in doubt, ADD PUPPY.

To be fair, I came up with Sammy long before I ever discovered Supernatural. It is **totally** a coincidence that I've based his looks on WeeDean from the pilot. Seriously.

Additional love to phantom_blue for 'attempting' to beta. ^_~

Chapter 10: Small Talk

"Recycle the Dark Fortress?"

More than one person was staring at her blankly.

"Just hear me out," Cassie protested, leaning forward across the table. "That's a **lot** of scrap metal, isn't it? We'd have to take it out to the middle of nowhere just to blow it up like we were planning to do. And even then, we have to be careful because we don't know what the blast might do to the surrounding area. Not to mention if something someone got a hold of a part that we didn't want them to. I mean, how can we be sure we'll be taking out all the important components?"

Andros eyed her. "You don't trust D.E.C.A.'s calculations?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I do. That's not the point. Why are we going to waste all that material, when we could be using it for something else?"

"Like what?" Zhane asked, looking perplexed.

She hesitated and shrugged. "Well, I don't know. But there has to be something. I mean, with everything that's happened in the last few weeks, there has to be someone who could use some help with resources for rebuilding their world. What about KO-35?"

Ashley glanced around, shrugging helplessly at the others. "That's a good point," she admitted.

"I want to do it." Karone's voice was soft, but firm. "The Dark Fortress is mine, so I get to decide what to do with it." She lifted her chin stubbornly in an expression that was both Astronema and Andros at the same time. "And I want to see it used for something good."

There was a pause, and at last Andros sighed. "It is your ship, Karone," he agreed reluctantly. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She nodded. "Cassie's right. That's a lot of material someone else could use." She paused, looking down at her lap. "The Dark Fortress was my home," she added quietly. "I don't want to see it destroyed."

"Cassie," D.E.C.A. interrupted. "You asked to be reminded when the time in Angel Grove approached 10:00am."

Cassie started slightly, glancing up at the camera. "Is it that time already?" She tried not to sound dismayed.

"It is 9:55am Earth Pacific Standard Time," D.E.C.A. returned primly.

Ashley reached over to squeeze her hands. "Are you gonna be okay?" she asked in concern.

Cassie took a deep breath, trying to smile. "I'll be fine. It's just my family. What's the big deal, right?"

Carlos snorted. "Try that line again with people who don't know you so well," he informed her dryly.

She made a face at him, then looked at T.J., pulling her right arm close. "You're not teleporting me again," she warned him. "I can go by myself. When I'm ready."

T.J. gave her a bright smile. "Sure you can," he agreed easily. "D.E.C.A., would you please teleport Cassie down to Angel Grove Lake?"

"Traitor!" she cried as everything turned pink.

* * *

The first thing that registered when the world reformed was that it was oddly quiet. Quiet made her nervous. Quiet meant ambush.

_Great, I'm turning into Andros_, she thought in exasperation, even as she glanced around warily.

There were people staring at her. She blinked, and realized D.E.C.A. hadn't just teleported her to Angel Grove Lake; she'd sent her straight to her family. Who had never seen her teleport before. Who were still trying to grasp the idea that she was a Power Ranger.

_T.J., I'm going to __**kill**__ you._

"Hi," she offered uncertainly, giving an awkward smile. "Sorry about that. Usually we find an open area first. I didn't mean to just - "

"It's fine, honey," her mom interrupted. Her own smile seemed a little too bright. "You just surprised us, that's all."

"What was that?" David asked, frowning.

She shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. "Teleportation. Usually I'd take my glider off the megaship, but we have to morph for that, and it's a little ... " She trailed off, reaching up to rub her forehead with a sigh. "I could explain the science behind it, but it makes my head hurt. Basically, I was in a meeting with my ... " she hesitated, "Team, on our ... " She stopped again, grimacing. "Spaceship. It took a little longer than I expected, so I came straight here."

_Where's Justin and one of his technical explanations that makes everyone's eyes glaze when I need him?_

"Cassandra, it's fine," her mom promised, looking amused. "Calm down. You look like you're about to have an aneurysm."

She made a face. "I'm in perfect health, and I haven't had a head injury in three weeks," she argued.

There was a long pause.

"Head injury ... ?"

Her eyes snapped to the speaker, and she froze, breath catching. "You cut your hair," she blurted out, dismayed.

Her older brother blinked at her for a moment before reaching up to slowly run a hand over his shaved head. "Yeah," Mitch muttered after a moment. "It was getting in the way." He paused, shaking his head, and repeated "Head injury?"

She flinched slightly, at last giving a slight shrug. "Yeah. We um, got tossed around a lot when we lost the MegaVs," she murmured. Her heart ached at the thought.

"But you're okay now?" Amy persisted, looking worried.

"Yeah." She forced a smile. "Accelerated healing, remember? I was fine by the next day."

"Since when do you know what an aneurysm is?" David demanded, frowning at her.

Another long silence. It was finally broken when she shrugged. "I just ... do," she said uncomfortably, looking away.

She didn't want to explain. She didn't want to them to know about the fighting the Turbo Megazord, about the fall of the Power Chamber. About the Piranhatron attacks that got out of hand. About how understanding human anatomy and knowing basic first aid was a requirement of being a Ranger. About how life with Andros had taught them beyond that, because there was only so much D.E.C.A. and Alpha could do, and you never knew when you wouldn't be able to reach them for help.

So much had happened in fourteen months, and she didn't want them to know any of it.

The sound of an incoming teleportation had her reaching for her morpher, already shifting to a fighting stance. But then a sharp bark cut through the air, and she found herself nearly bowled over by sixty-three pounds of enthusiastic Yellow Labrador. "Jetson," she grunted as he yipped happily in greeting, tail wagging enthusiastically.

She made a face as he tried to lick her cheek, pushing him back. "Down, boy."

Her fingers closed on something attached to his collar, and she blinked down at it. A piece of paper had been tied to one of the holes.

_Cassie -_

_Thought you could use some backup. At least he's good for conversation. Good luck!_

She scowled, crumpling the note in her fist and stuffing it in her pocket. "Seriously, Teej. Stop helping," she muttered under her breath. She resisted the urge to glare up at where she knew the megaship was hovering, apparently still watching over her.

Jetson barked again, and she looked up at him, her expression softening. "Yes boy, I missed you, too," she assured him, scratching behind his ear as he closed his eyes in bliss. "I'm sorry I didn't take you with me when I left. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"You have a dog?"

She glanced up at Tony's frown, shrugging again. "I missed Sandy," she explained. "And I didn't like living alone, so I stopped by the shelter one day and met this guy." She grinned fondly at Jetson as she continued to scratch. "This is Jetson."

"Puppy?" Sammy spoke up. He tugged at Mitch's pant leg, looking hopeful.

Mitch frowned suspiciously, running an absent hand though his son's hair. "Does he have any issues with kids?"

She shrugged. "Not as far as I know, but the youngest I've had him around is Ashley's sister, and she's only a little younger than Paige. He's really friendly though, if that helps."

Sammy inched forward, ducking around Mitch's hand. "Hi, puppy," he greeted softly.

Jetson watched him approach, tail already wagging in anticipation of a new friend. Cassie had to grip his collar to keep him from knocking the little boy over.

She took a moment to study her nephew. He was a little taller now, with more hair. It was currently rumpled, falling around his face in tuffs of dark blond. The hazel eyes she'd secretly always adored were large and curious. His thumb was nowhere near his mouth, which was a new development that must have taken some serious effort to achieve. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been much smaller and **always** sucked his thumb unless he had something to say, which wasn't often. For being Mitch's kid, Sammy was oddly shy.

He glanced up at her as he gently stroked Jetson's head, blinking innocently. "Hi," he offered.

She smiled back, wishing she could hold him close and cuddle him the way she used to. He'd been barely three when she left, and she wasn't sure how well he remembered her. "Hi, Sammy."

His brow furrowed. "You know m'name?"

"Of course I do." It was hard to stop herself from brush the hair out of his eyes. Her smile slipped a little. "You probably don't really remember me, but I'm your Auntie Cassandra. I used to help take care of you when you were little."

Sammy blinked at her for a moment. "You left," he said finally.

She winced. "Yeah, I did."

"Ever'one was sad," he informed her.

"I was sad, too," she told him. Her heart hurt. "I didn't want to leave."

"Why?"

This time she managed a small, sad smile. "Because I thought I had to." _And I wish I could take it all back._

_... But I'd never give up being a Ranger._

Small hands closed around her neck, and she suddenly found herself with a lapful of Sammy. "Missed you, A'Sandra," he mumbled, nuzzling against her cheek.

She closed her eyes at the familiar nickname, squeezing him carefully. "I missed you too, Rugrat," she whispered, surrendering to the need to kiss his temple. He cuddled under her chin, and she fought the urge to cry.

_I don't know what you ever did to deserve this kid, Mitchie_, she thought distantly, running her fingers through Sammy's hair as he giggled at Jetson. _But whatever it was, I'm grateful you did it._

She glanced up at the sound of her mom clearing her throat. "So," Amy began. "Who's hungry for lunch?"

* * *

Jetson sprinted across the grass, dragging a large stick that was clearly too big for him. Sammy chased after him, giggling hysterically and calling for him to stop. Cassie smiled at the sight, glad at least someone was enjoying themselves.

Someone sat down beside her, and there was a sudden warm weight pressed against her side. She swallowed hard, uncertain how she should respond now. Before, this would have been an invitation for a shove, maybe even an argument. Now ...

She didn't know what it was.

They sat in silence for several minutes. Cassie stared at the grass, absently admiring the sparkly pink nail polish on the pair of feet next to her, sticking out from under trendy sandals. "I like your nails," she said eventually, nodding at the feet in question.

There was a pause. "You hate pink," Paige said finally, sounding confused.

A wry smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I did," she agreed. "Then I became the Pink Ranger."

Another pause. "Why Pink?"

She shrugged. "That's the one they gave me."

It was more than that. It was the color of her personality, the color of her place within the team. It was the color tradition she followed, like the Pink Rangers before her. But she wasn't sure how to explain it to a civilian, so she didn't bother to try.

_I can't believe I just thought civilian_, she grumbled silently. _Being a Ranger is ingrained into my brain._ She wondered who's fault that was, and decided it must be Andros. Just because.

_Everything that goes wrong should always be Andros' fault. It just makes life easier_, she confirmed. And then she sighed at herself, because Andros was already blaming himself for things he had no reason to be blamed for, and that wasn't going to help anything.

"I like your shirt," Paige said abruptly.

She glanced down. It wasn't anything special; just a pale pink tank top she'd found on sale with a darker pink butterfly embroidered along the hem. "Thanks."

There was a sudden sigh, and the pressure at her side increased as Paige leaned against her shoulder. "This is weird," the younger girl said quietly.

Cassie swallowed, nodding. "Yeah," she said softly.

"I wish it wasn't."

She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Another pause, and she felt Paige shift enough to look up at her. "Sorry for this being weird, or for running away?"

She sighed softly, one finger drifting to trace over her communicator. "I'm sorry it's weird. I **want** to be sorry I left, and in some ways I am ... But in others, I'm not."

"Why aren't you sorry?"

She glanced up at both of her brothers, standing in front of them. Tony's arms were folded, his expression strangely closed-off in a way that assured her she was right on his feelings about the subject. Mitch was frowning, but he seemed curious more than angry. If anything, he seemed to want to understand.

She reached up to rub at her eyes. "I missed you," she said finally. "I thought about all of you every day. I **hate** that I've missed so much. But ... " She trailed off, letting out another sigh. "But being a Power Ranger ... it's like nothing else. The things I've seen, the people I've met ... " She shrugged helplessly. "I missed you guys," she repeated. "But I love being a Ranger."

"More than you love us?" Tony's voice was sharp, bitter. His eyes were cold in a way they'd never been when he was looking at her.

Her heart clenched. "Don't ask me that," she whispered.

Tony turned around and walked away.

She closed her eyes, dropping her head into her hands. It took effort to swallow back the lump in her throat as her eyes burned.

"He's not really mad," Mitch offered quietly. His voice was closer than it had been before, and she looked up to find him directly in front of her, looking concerned and uncertain. "He was really hurt when you left without him."

She swallowed again. "I know," she said softly.

"We missed you," Paige told her abruptly. Her brown eyes were big and wet, and she sniffled slightly. "You weren't picking on me anymore. It was weird."

Cassie managed a somewhat watery smile back. "I didn't have anyone to pick on," she countered. She paused, flicking the younger girl's shoulder with a finger. "Princess," she mocked gently.

Paige's face blossomed into a bright smile. "Baby Face," she taunted back.

Cassie grinned, throwing an arm around her sister's shoulder and dragging her down, pulling the other girl close against her side and giving her a gentle noogie. "Shut it, your highness."

Paige squirmed, trying to get free, and Mitch laughed at them both. In the background she could hear Sammy's squeals of delight and Jetson barking. Her parents were watching them with smiles, while Tony glared out across the lake and pretended he couldn't hear them.

It wasn't right, and it wasn't perfect, but it was something.


	11. Paradise Lost

For starandrea, because re-reading Lands' End made me think of this story long enough to work on it again. And giggle lots, because I adore her version of Lost Galaxy. And her Leo. And for Ghostwriter, who reminded me that I hadn't updated this over here. x.x Many thanks!

Paradise Lost

"Are we ready?" T.J. asked.

"No," Ashley said immediately, hugging her binder to her chest.

"Huff," Carlos answered through a mouthful a toast. He was grabbing his backpack, which Cassie assumed meant it was supposed to be a yes.

"Do we have to?" she asked plaintively, biting her lip.

T.J. sighed, but his expression was sympathetic. "Guys, we already talked about this. We can't keep avoiding school forever. And if we ever want things to go back to normal, we have to start acting like it." He moved to wrap an arm around Ashley, who leaned into him with a sigh and a troubled expression. "It's gonna be weird, and it's gonna be hard, but we'll get through it. If the Power Rangers can survive Astronema, we can survive high school."

"Speak for yourself, man," Carlos argued, sticking his plate in the synthetron. "I'll take Astronema over chemistry any day. At least she makes **sense**."

"Should I be flattered?"

He turned to grin at Karone as she blinked at them from the doorway. "Yes," he promised.

"Probably not, considering how much Carlos hates chemistry," Cassie teased, trying to ignore the churning in her stomach. The decision to go back to school **had **been a team decision, and T.J. was right: the longer they waited, the worse it would be. But that didn't make it any easier.

"You guys are gonna be late if you don't go now," Andros warned as he and Zhane came up behind Karone. He frowned, moving to give Ashley a hug and whispering something in her ear that got a weak smile in return.

"We can always fake an emergency for you if you need one," Zhane offered, looking hopeful. He ignored the dark look Andros shot him.

"You'll be fine," Andros said firmly. "And we'll be here when you get out."

Cassie got up with a slow sigh, pausing to kiss Karone's cheek and hug Zhane. "We'll probably be running up here once we're free," she admitted.

Zhane pouted at her. "What, no kiss for me?"

She laughed as Karone giggled, and kissed his cheek, too. "Keep them in line for us," she warned.

He saluted, and she tried not to laugh more as Andros glared at them both.

"The time in Angel Grove is 7:30," D.E.C.A. informed them

Grabbing her backpack, she moved to stand with the others. "Okay," she said finally, taking a deep breath to brace herself. "Let's do this."

"It's really not going to be that bad," T.J. promised. "You're all making a big deal out of nothing. You'll see."

Carlos shot him a skeptical look. "Whatever you say, Teej," he muttered, reaching for his morpher.

Cassie took another breath, squeezing back just as tight when Ashley's fingers fumbled for hers. _Big deal out of nothing_, she promised herself. _It's just high school._

_It's just high school._

* * *

"Not a big deal, huh Teej?" Cassie muttered under her breath as she fought to get to her locker. Making it through the reporters waiting outside Angel Grove High had been bad enough, but getting inside was no better. Now she had people who 'knew' her, trying to call out to her like they were old friends, begging for an autograph, or just to talk to her at all. She couldn't shove them out of the way because she might accidentally hurt someone, and being polite was pointless because no one was actually listening to her.

_I wonder if I can get Zhane to play bodyguard. Just long enough to get me to and from classes_, she mused silently, finally managing to open her locker and grab her books. She usually only carried what she needed, but this time she went ahead and stuffed them all into her bag at once. Fighting to get to them had been hard enough this time; she really didn't care do to it again later.

Glancing up as she went to close the door, she caught sight of another open locker a few feet down the hall and froze. She didn't recognize the boy standing at it, but she certainly recognized the picture taped inside. It was of **her**, the same shot that had been taken outside the Hammond's window last week. As she stared in horror and embarrassment, the boy grabbed his books, pausing long enough to blow a kiss to the picture before shutting the door and heading off down the hall.

For a moment she could only stare at the locker, wondering how many more of them had pictures of her inside. Was this how celebrities felt, having their privacy violated? Being idolized for no reason at all?

She shuddered, clutching her binder closer to her chest. _I could really use that emergency right now, Zhane._

"Will Cassie Chan, Ashley Hammond, T.J. Johnson, and Carlos Vallerte please report to the principal's office," the PA squawked. "Cassie Chan, Ashley Hammond, T.J. Johnson, and Carlos Vallerte to the principal's office, please,"

Groaning, she dropped her head back against the wall. "I hate my life."

It took her several more minutes to fight her way back through the crowd, and another five to make it to the office. She slipped inside the door and nearly slammed it behind her, leaning against it in relief. The moment she looked up again and saw T.J., she marched up to him and punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" He turned to glare at her. "I get it, okay? I was wrong, and I'm sorry!"

"You should be," Carlos muttered on his other side, looking harassed. He had an arm around Ashley, who looked torn between laughing at T.J. and bursting into tears. "If Caplan wants an autograph, I am not responsible for what I do."

"Good morning so far?" Cassie asked him dryly, amused despite the situation.

He eyed her. "You know those letters I've been getting? Apparently they're from someone who goes here."

She winced, moving around T.J. to give him a hug. "You okay, Ash?" She eyed the other girl carefully.

Ashley managed a weak smile in return. "Yeah. It's just ... more than I was expecting, you know?" She swallowed. "What about you?"

Cassie shuddered without meaning to, which instantly had all of their attention on her. "Cass?" T.J. asked lowly, moving closer. "What happened?"

"I'm fine," she muttered, swallowing. "It's just ... There was someone with a picture of me in their locker."

Carlos' expression darkened as T.J. put his arm around her shoulders. "You know who it was?"

She shook her head. "No. I didn't recognize him." She paused, realizing why he was asking, and gave him a look. "And I don't need you beating people up for me." She wouldn't say it, but the offer did make her feel a little better.

"Hey, anyone messes with one of us, they mess with all of us, remember?" T.J. murmured in her ear, squeezing slightly. "If it gets out of hand, we'll take care of it."

She shoved him lightly, trying not to smile. "I can handle it on my own," she reminded them pointedly. She hesitated. "But thanks."

"It's what we're here for," Ashley reminded her softly, reaching up to squeeze her shoulder.

"E-excuse me?"

They all turned to see Mrs. Parker, the office secretary, staring at them as she gripped a stack of papers so tightly they wrinkled. "Principal Caplan will, um, see you now," she stammered, looking flustered.

"Thank you, ma'am," Ashley spoke up, offering a smile.

Mrs. Parker jumped slightly, flushing. "You're ... you're welcome," she mumbled, hurrying back to her seat.

Cassie swallowed, reaching for Ashley's hand again. The grip on her fingers was painful, but reassuring.

T.J. lead the way, Cassie and Ashley following together while Carlos brought up the rear. If she wasn't busy trying to reassure herself and Ashley at the same time, she might have been offended instead of mildly annoyed. She knew neither of them were consciously hovering over the two of them, and both guys knew that they were perfectly capable of protecting themselves, but it was still irritating. She already had an overprotective big brother; she didn't need two more.

Then she sighed, because she knew arguing the point would get her nowhere. Team was Team, and there was nothing she could do about it. Not that she really wanted to, but there were times ...

Caplan was standing when they came into his office, looking at them all with a strangely serious expression rather than the awestruck one on everyone else they'd seen so far. "Miss Hammond, Miss Chan. Mr. Johnson, Mr. Vallerte," he greeted politely, gesturing to the two chairs across from his desk. "Please, have a seat."

They exchanged glances, Ashley moving slowly to sink down into one of the chairs. Cassie and Carlos had a silent debate, glaring at one another until at last Carlos sighed audibly and took the other chair. Cassie moved to stand behind him, watching Caplan warily as she resisted the urge to fold her arms. T.J. remained near the door, radiating tension and distrust.

Caplan looked at them all for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "I assume your morning so far has been eventful."

Carlos snorted. "That's one way of putting it. Sir," he added belatedly.

Caplan eyed him for a moment before nodding as if that had been nothing more than what he'd expected. "These things tend to happen with celebrity students," he agreed.

Cassie blinked. "But we're not celebrities," she protested.

He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. "I'm afraid so, Miss Chan. Now that your ... identities, have been revealed, you are very much celebrities. Especially to Angel Grove."

"But that's silly," Ashley argued. "We haven't done anything special. We just - " She faltered as he frowned at her. "We just did what needed to be done," she finished uncertainly.

"Hmm," Caplan said neutrally. "Be that as it may, you will find that attending school will be ... difficult. The reason I summoned you here was to discuss other options for earning your diploma."

"Wait a minute," T.J. interrupted, straightening up from the wall with a frown. "We don't need any special treatment."

"And I'm glad to hear that," Caplan said calmly, "But that's not what I was referring to."

"What **were** you referring to?" Ashley asked slowly.

He sighed. "With your new celebrity status, it will be difficult to attend classes as ordinary students. It may also serve as a distraction to your peers. There are other options, such as adult school, alternative high schools, or simply taking the G.E.D. Being that you are all exceptional students - barring a few attendance problems which, may now be explained, I would recommend the G.E.D. testing as your best choice."

Cassie blinked slowly as everything around her seemed to dim. Distantly she could hear T.J. arguing that they weren't interested in the G.E.D. They just wanted to be normal students.

_Can we be normal?_ she wondered. _If even Caplan doesn't think we can ..._

"Is there anything else Sir, or may we go to class?" T.J. asked flatly, eyes narrowing.

Caplan sighed. "No, I suppose that will be all for now. You're all free to go."

"Thank you, Sir," Ashley said softly as she stood.

They left in silence, pausing just in front of the office door. Ashley swallowed, and T.J. reached up to grip her shoulder. "It'll be fine," he insisted. "Caplan's just blowing things out of proportion. Once everything settles down, it won't be a big deal. You'll see." He gave her one last squeeze before heading out the door.

"If he's wrong," Carlos muttered as they followed him reluctantly, "I call dibs."

"Get in line," Cassie murmured back.

* * *

Halfway through the day, and Cassie was ready to scream.

People were either too intimidated to talk to her now, spending whole class periods just staring at her, or they couldn't seem to stop trying to get her attention. Even the teachers were acting oddly, barring one or two exceptions. Some of them would try not to stare along with the class, while others deliberately tried to ignore her. Then there was Mr. Frankman's chemistry lecture about how human metamorphosis was scientifically impossible, and spandex could never be used as a feasible form of body armor that had her staring at her notebook for the entire period, resisting the urge to morph then and there just so he could see how 'impossible' it is.

She'd never appreciated just how unflappable Mrs. Applebee really was before.

English ended with a new affection for her favorite teacher and a migraine from everyone else as she fought her way through another crowd, trying to think of places she could hide long enough to eat her lunch. She'd just made it out of the room when she bumped someone. Looking up - well, down - she found herself looking at a familiar face.

"Justin!" she said in surprise.

There was a flicker of something in his eyes before he blinked at her. "Um, hi," he muttered, ducking his head as if he was shy.

She stared at him for a moment before it dawned on her. _No one knows he's a Ranger, dummy_, she berated herself. _Announce it to the whole school, why don't you?_

She tried for an awkward smile. "Hi. I, um ... How have you been?" she asked hesitantly, as if she hadn't seen him four days ago.

"F-fine," he mumbled, and she had to fight not to grin. Justin had **never** been this shy. Normally it was hard to get him to stop talking.

He hesitated again. "Can ... can I have your autograph?" he whispered, biting his lip.

She blinked. _What in the world ... ?_ "Sure," she told him automatically, flashing him a warm smile. "Anything for an old friend."

There was that flash of _something_ in his eyes again, but it was gone before she could identify it.

"Do you have something for me to sign?" she pressed gently, fighting to keep from asking him then and there what was wrong.

"Um, yeah. Just ... just a second."

She watched with a slight smile as he dug through his backpack for several minutes, past piles of books both school-related and not. Eventually he yanked out his binder, flipping through it for an empty page before searching for a pen. "Here," he offered brightly, holding it out with a smile. It didn't reach his eyes though, which worried her all the more.

She took the notebook and pen with a smile of her own, scribbling a note as fast as she could before anyone could begin to wonder. _U O.K.? Need 2 talk soon. Missed you._ She added her signature with a quick flourish several lines down, just in case anyone actually asked him to see it, before handing it back. "There you go."

His eyes flickered over the note briefly. "Thanks," he murmured. He closed the notebook, hitching his backpack back onto his shoulder. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime. Eventually," he added under his breath as he walked past her, sounding bitter.

She turned to stare after him blankly. _What was __**that**__ about?_

After a minute she shook her head. She needed to get moving and find the others if she had any plans of escaping the crowds long enough to eat lunch. And as tempting as it was to just teleport up to the megaship and skip out on the rest of the day, they'd all agreed to stick it out no matter what.

T.J. was seriously going to pay for this later.

It took ten minutes to find T.J. and Carlos, who were hiding in behind a corner of the gym that was usually saved for students sneaking off to have a cigarette. "Where's Ashley?" she asked with a frown.

"Your guess is as good as ours," T.J. said with a shrug.

She hesitated, eyeing Carlos as he paced, muttering under his breath. " ... Are you okay?"

He glanced up. "You have Frankman yet?"

She winced. "Yeah."

He smiled bitterly. "Apparently being 'celebrities' doesn't mean we can't get detention for arguing with a teacher. Even if he **is** wrong," he muttered darkly.

She glanced at T.J. 'Bad day', he mouthed with a shrug.

She bit her lip. "I'm gonna go see if I can find Ash."

"Be careful," T.J. warned.

She rolled her eyes at him as she walked away. Sure, **now** he was worried about the crowds.

It took her another fifteen minutes of searching to finally track down Ashley.

She was hiding in the bathroom. Crying.

"Ash ... ?" Cassie asked tentatively, knocking on the stall door. If she hadn't seen Ashley's shoes, she wouldn't have even known she was in there.

Silence.

She swallowed. "Talk to me?"

There was a quiet sniffle, and after a moment the door opened slowly. Ashley looked up with a miserable expression and red eyes. The sleeve on her jacket was torn, and she was missing one of the barrettes she'd been wearing earlier.

Cassie's eyes went wide even as she caught her best friend in a tight hug. "What happened?" she demanded.

Ashley shivered slightly, burying her face against Cassie's shoulder. "They were ... I couldn't get through," she mumbled, sniffling again. "I was trying not to panic, but there were people **everywhere** and ... I think I pushed somebody into a locker. I just ... I couldn't breathe," she whimpered.

Cassie closed her eyes, squeezing tighter as comprehension dawned. She hadn't been afraid to elbow her way through some of the pushier people in the crowds she'd been dealing with all morning, but Ashley wouldn't have wanted to hurt anyone. She'd always been a little anxious about their enhanced strength, ever since the first time she'd gotten angry enough to throw something and put a hole in her bedroom wall and the one behind it.

"I hate this," Ashley whispered, and Cassie felt her shoulder getting wet. "Going to school used to be fun. We got to be just like everybody else. To be ... to be **normal**. And now ... " She trailed off into another sob.

Cassie fought back tears of her own. And now they were anything but normal.

"I just want to be normal again," Ashley choked out.

The pain in her voice made Cassie's heart ache in sympathy. And all she could do was hold on as Ashley cried. Because there was nothing she could say.

Because they'd never be normal again.


	12. Nightmares

This chapter was greatly influenced by this picture: creativeintoxication. deviantart. com/ art/ chair-tied-gold-masked-boy-137957120 (Unfortunately, unless you have a DeviantArt account to prove you're over eighteen, you won't be able to see it. But accounts **are** free, and there's some jaw-dropping artwork to be found here regardless.) It's probably the reason this ended up a **lot** darker than I'd originally intended for it to be.

Much love and appreciation to phantom_blue for help with stalker love notes. You are a highly disturbing woman.

For purplestripe66, because I love you. Thank you for making me smile.

Chapter 12: Nightmares

She sat beside the bed, carefully holding his hand. "Hey," she greeted softly. "They say you're doing a lot better today."

_"Oh, hi Ms. Vallerte! ... Ms. Vallerte, slow down. I can't - "_

_"What do you mean Carlos never came home? He didn't call?"_

"They gave us a bunch of numbers that didn't make any sense to me, but Andros said they were a good thing." She frowned down at him. "I'm trusting Andros about something to do with numbers. You'd better not decide now's the best time to prove him wrong, you hear me?"

_"Carlos, come in. Can you hear me?"_

_"Don't worry, Ms. Vallerte. We'll find him."_

_"Guys, this is Cassie. Has anybody seen Carlos?"_

She stared at him for a moment, biting her lip as her eyes burned. After a moment she began to stroke the back of his hand with her thumb.

_"Zordon's wave took out every evil being in the nearest three galaxies. If anything beyond that had tried to come to Earth, we would have already known about it."_

_"That's because what took him wasn't necessarily evil."_

_" ... Karone? What are you - "_

Her eyes fell on the monitor next to the bed, watching it beep steadily. The line continued the way it had since they'd brought him here. The way it had ever since D.E.C.A. had informed them that Carlos needed care she couldn't provide.

_"Did anyone notice Carlos never got one of his letters today?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

Sometimes it was reassuring to watch it and see that his heart was still going strong. The doctors had promised them he hadn't slipped into a coma, but he was close. His mother had refused to leave his side, not that anyone could blame her.

_"Have any of you read these before?"_

The team had been taking turns sitting with him, both for protection and just to be with him. There wasn't really enough room for them all to be there at once, and using shifts meant they all managed to sleep at some point. As well as anyone **could** sleep, anyway.

_"It's like the same nightmare all over again."_

_"No. This is worse."_

Get well soon gifts had flooded the hospital within the first day he'd been admitted. It wasn't like they could have kept it a secret, no matter how hard they'd tried. The story of the kidnapping had leaked out barely a day after they'd realized he was missing. The only good thing to come out of it had been getting police assistance in arresting his kidnapper.

_I've always liked you Carlos, even before I knew you were a Power Ranger._

_I can make you happy. You just have to give me a chance._

_Our children will be beautiful. We should name our first son after you, and then my father. I think he'd like that, don't you?_

_I love you. Don't you love me?_

Well. 'Good' was a matter of opinion, really.

_I made lunch just for you. I hope you like it. I'm a really good cook, everyone says so. My mom says I'll make someone a great wife someday._

_You're beautiful when you sleep. I know, because I saw you fall asleep in class two months ago. You have such long eyelashes. They're so pretty. I hope C.J. has them, too._

_I love you so much it hurts._

_I can make you happy. I promise._

The girl wouldn't get away with it, no matter how mentally unstable she was. The media frenzy had taken care of that. No judge or jury would let off the girl who'd kidnapped and nearly killed the Black Ranger.

She wouldn't let them.

_"Something wrong?"_

_"This sandwich tastes really salty for some reason."_

She laid her head down on the bed, turning to stare at him as he slept. He hadn't moved in two days. Ever since they'd found finally found him, tied to a chair in a basement. He'd been shirtless, covered in glitter, and held in place by braided gold rope. At first they couldn't understand why he wouldn't wake up.

Then T.J. had found the stash.

_"The Power is meant for healing physical injuries. Rangers have never needed to use anything else to stay healthy. So when it meets something man-made, so to speak ... "_

_"What are you saying?"_

_"I'm saying that the Power's reacting to the drug in his system. It's sending him into automatic overdose."_

_"How do we stop it?"_

_"We can't."_

She closed her eyes, feeling a tear slip down her cheek. "Please wake up," she whispered.

_"__**Carlos**__!"_

_

* * *

_

"Still no update on the condition of Black Ranger Carlos Vallerte, after he was admitted to Angel Grove Community General in the wake of his kidnapping by Lauren Hartman last Friday. Doctors say while Mr. Vallerte has not truly fallen into a comatose state as of yet, his condition is still very serious. Medical reports have confirmed it is the result of an overdose of the drug gamma hydroxybutyrate acid, or GHB, also known as Georgie Home Boy or Liquid Ecstasy. Hartman confessed to having added the drug to a sandwich she prepared as a gift for Mr. Vallerte. She was quoted as saying she and Carlos are soul mates, and she just needed some time alone with him so he could see it too. Miss Hartman is currently being held by the Angel Grove Police Department in an undisclosed, secure location while she undergoes psychiatric evaluation.

_"Meanwhile, Arsenia Vallerte, the Black Ranger's mother, has expressed her appreciation for the many prayers and get-well gifts her son has received throughout the community, as well as fans everywhere. If you would like to send your own gift, please mail it to the P.O. Box that has been set up for the Black Ranger. For those interested in donating to Mr. Vallerte's hospital bill, please call the phone number listed on your screen._

_"While the remaining Power Rangers have not been available for comment, the Red Ranger, whose identity still has yet to be confirmed, was reportedly barred from the hospital after a member of the staff asked him for an autograph. Witnesses say he flew into a rage, shouting 'get out of my face', before physically throwing the man from the room. The staff member __**was**__ unharmed, but the Rangers and Mrs. Vallerte have asked to have the person replaced as one of Mr. Vallerte' caregivers. While Angel Grove General has submitted a formal apology to the Rangers, the Red Ranger has been unofficially asked not to return. All attempts to speak with the other Rangers about the incident have been unsuccessful._

_"In other news - "_

She turned down the volume with a sigh, staring blankly at the com screen as the reporter continued to drone on. The report wasn't entirely accurate, but it was better than they could have hoped for, considering the circumstances. Ashley would probably annoyed that they kept calling Ms. Vallerte 'Mrs.,' when Carlos' father hadn't been part of his life since he was two, but she'd known him the longest. T.J. would probably just be irritated that Andros had actually made the news. Not that it was really his fault - any one of them would have probably reacted the same if they'd been the one the doctor had asked - but having the Red Ranger labeled as prone to violence wasn't exactly something they needed right now.

Not that it wasn't true, but still.

"Hey."

She glanced up at Zhane, only to have him plop down on her lap before she could respond. "Zhane, you're heavy," she protested half-heartedly. "Move."

"Liar," he retorted, already curling up to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "You could hold two of me."

"Doesn't mean I want to," she grumbled, making no attempt to move him.

They stared at the T.V. in silence for awhile, watching the reporter go on about something to do with politics. Cassie wasn't really listening to be sure what it was. She should probably be paying attention, but couldn't find the energy to care.

"You get used to it," Zhane said suddenly. He'd started playing with her hair at some point, running his fingers through it and twirling the ends in circles.

She tilted her head just enough to glance up at him. "Hmm?"

"The reporters," he clarified, nodding at the comm. "People wanting to know every detail of your life. You get used to it eventually."

It was hard to imagine. "Did you?" she asked quietly, leaning her head against his chest.

She felt him shrug. "I was born into it. The son of a Power Ranger family? People talked about my birth for years. I was almost more of a celebrity than my parents. And when I became a Ranger? We had to hire security guards just for the ceremony, and we had to interview all the security guards to make sure they weren't going to cause any leaks. It was crazy."

The corner of her mouth quirked, but it wasn't really a smile. "So is that why you love being the center of attention?"

He humphed. "I said I was *used* to it, I didn't say I liked it."

She found that a little hard to believe. "But you were smiling when everyone found out who we were, after ... " She paused, swallowing at the memory. "After the golden wave."

"I was smiling because that's what everyone wanted to see," he informed her. "We'd just defeated Astronema and saved the planet. We were supposed to be happy." He paused. "Uncle used to say that people will believe in what they want to see. If they want to see Rangers that are happy to have saved their lives, that's what they get. They don't want to know what's really going on."

She frowned a little. "Then what were you really thinking about?"

"Right then? I was thinking about Zordon's goodbye, and that Andros was still missing. I was scared that he'd done something stupid, and I'd never ... " She felt him swallow. "I'd never see him again."

She wrapped her arms around him the best she could in the awkward position they were in. "I'm sorry," she murmured, feeling guilty. Why hadn't she noticed then? She'd seen Ashley's fear; why hadn't she caught Zhane's?

"You heard Zordon say goodbye?"

They both looked up at the soft voice to see Karone watching them from the doorway. Zhane nodded. "Zordon was ... " He stopped again, shaking his head. "I knew him for most of my life."

She looked solemn. "I'm sorry."

Zhane shrugged slightly. "Not your fault."

Karone shook her head. "You don't know that."

"Neither do you," Cassie pointed out. "You said you didn't remember the last few months."

An odd expression came over Karone's face. "I can still read a computer log," she said quietly.

There was a moment of silence. At last Zhane held out an arm to her. "Come 'ere. We're trying to squash Cassie to prove how strong she is."

Cassie humphed. "And Zhane's trying to tell me he's not heavy."

Karone stared at them, and for a moment Cassie was afraid she wouldn't buy it. Then she raised her eyebrows skeptically in an expression that was disturbingly Andros. "There's no room on the chair," she informed them.

"So sit on me," Zhane argued.

She gave him a look. "I don't want to hurt Cassie."

For some reason, that made Cassie smile when nothing else had yet. "Thank you. At least someone cares about me." She shoved playfully at Zhane's shoulder.

Zhane threw up the hand that wasn't wrapped around Cassie's back in exasperation. "You're not going to hurt her! She's a Power Ranger. She could lift half the team if she had to."

"How do you know?" Cassie countered. "Have **you** lifted half a team before?"

He glared down at her. "My aunt," he said firmly. "I was nine, watching from the bridge. Scaffolding on an old building fell out from underneath them. She held up my parents and two of my uncles before Uncle came to help."

"Your aunt?" Karone tilted her head as she finally came closer, sounding curious.

He nodded, snagging her hand and pulling her on top of them. "Bridret. Pink Kerova Ranger. She had the morpher before Cassie."

Cassie grunted slightly as Karone more or less fell on Zhane. But she had to admit once they both stopped moving, it wasn't as bad as she'd thought it would be. Not that she was going to admit it. "Bridret?" she echoed. "You've never mentioned her name before."

He shrugged slightly, wrapping his free arm around Karone to prevent her from slipping. "They were always 'aunt' or 'uncle' to me. We only used names for emergencies, and most of the time we used nicknames instead."

Karone blinked at him, leaning in closer to balance them both better on Cassie's lap. "Nicknames?"

"Mother liked nicknames. She said it was like giving someone their real name once you knew them better."

Cassie couldn't help herself. "What was yours?"

"Glitterbug. Cayden was Sprite." He smiled a little, but his eyes were sad. "If Mother had her way, we probably wouldn't even have been named when we were born, but Father wouldn't let her."

Karone reached up to squeeze his shoulder. "You have a sister?"

He nodded. "Younger by six years."

"Where is she?" Cassie asked softly.

Zhane let out a long sigh, and she felt sorry she'd asked. "I'm not really sure," he said finally. "We ... " He stopped, swallowed, and tried again. "My family disappeared when KO-35 was invaded. Cayden, too. I've heard rumors that there's a Kerovan member of the Bavari Rangers, but with everything ... I haven't been able to confirm if it's true or not."

"I heard that, too," Karone agreed, studying him. "Purple."

"Purple?" Cassie blinked. "I didn't know there were Purple Rangers."

For some reason, that made Zhane grin down at her. "What, you thought just because Zordon never brought a purple coin to Earth they didn't exist?"

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" she argued, scowling back at him. "I only met him once, and it's not like he really talked to us!"

There was a pause, and Karone gave Zhane another curious look. "You said you knew him?"

Zhane sighed quietly, nodding again. "Even though he was stationed on Earth for so long, Zordon still kept in touch with other planets. He gave my family advice tons of times. He even sent a projection for the ceremony when Andros and I got our morphers." He paused, and that sad look was back. "Andros told me once that Zordon spoke to him often after the invasion. I guess he was looking for the Kerova Rangers, but when he found out Andros was all alone ... " He trailed off for a moment, finally shaking his head. "I guess he realized that Andros needed someone to talk to, even if he didn't know it."

"I'm glad he did," Cassie said softly, trying not to imagine what Andros would have been like in the wake of the invasion, and losing Zhane. One more thing she owed Zordon for.

The thought reminded her of the New Year's Eve party, and the bleak expression on Andros' face when he said that he'd killed Zordon. It was followed by the memory of his breakdown when they returned to the megaship, when he'd choked out that Zordon was his friend, and he'd destroyed him. She closed her eyes, heart aching. _Oh, __**Andros**__ ..._

"Did I know him?"

Karone's soft voice broke through her thoughts, and she opened her eyes to see the other girl's curious expression as Zhane shook his head. "No," he told her. "You and Andros lived in the country with your father. Andros didn't move to Keyota until he was thirteen."

Cassie frowned. "Why did he move?"

"He thought it would help him find Karone."

She winced, wondering why she hadn't thought of that. "Oh."

" ... I have a father?"

The honest confusion in Karone's voice was **painful**. Her expression was the same, as if she'd never even considered the idea that she had parents before. Astronema had been searching for a brother, not a family.

Zhane hesitated, pulling her closer. "Yes," he said finally. "But ... he disappeared in the invasion. They never found a body, and he lived far enough out in the country that he could have ... " He stopped himself, shaking his head. "But Andros was pretty sure he didn't make it."

Karone nodded slowly, as if this was no more than she'd expected. "And our ... mother?"

He shook his head again wordlessly.

She nodded again, but there was something in her eyes that made Cassie want to hug her tighter. "I see."

Zhane tightened his arm around her, leaning forward just enough to rest his chin on Cassie's head. Karone leaned into him in return, and Cassie wrapped her arms around them both as best she could in the sudden silence. She tried not to think about Karone and Andros and the parents Karone would never know, or Zhane's missing family and his sister that may or may not be alive. She tried not to think about her own family, because no matter how much she suddenly wanted her parents, things were still awkward, and it just made seeing them even worse than not seeing them at all.

She closed her eyes, fighting tears, and tried not to think about Carlos, silent and still in his hospital bed.

"We should hold a press conference," Zhane mumbled eventually. "We need to clear the air before any more stories start to spread."

"Or Andros hurts anymore hospital staff," Karone agreed quietly, letting out a surprisingly contented sigh.

"We can't go back to school again, can we?" Cassie said softly, although it wasn't really a question. "We ... we can't be ... normal, anymore."

She felt Zhane kiss the top of her head. "No," he said simply. "You can't."

Tears pricked her eyes, and Karone kissed her cheek in silent apology. She hadn't tried to actually **say** she was sorry for what she'd done as Astronema ever since T.J. had warned her she wasn't allowed to feel guilty, but she had found other ways to express what she was thinking. If she'd had more energy, Cassie would have reminded her again that it wasn't her fault.

Her communicator beeped.

She glanced at it, blinking rapidly for a moment. Her left arm was still wrapped around Karone. "Zhane, could you - "

He reached around. "Cassie's communicator," he offered brightly, contrasting the solemn look in his eyes.

"_Guys_," Andros' voice announced. "_Carlos is awake_."


	13. Scare

For anyone who has no idea WTF I'm talking about, this (www. greenacres4u. com/ House%20Plants/rubber_) is a rubber plant, which is the flowerless plant on Carlos' side table. And this (nas. er. usgs. gov/ ) is a Beta fish. And this (t-tiger. deviantart. com/ art/Mini-Dragon-56655863) is the dragon, but in black and green. Same eyes, though.

Love to phantom_blue for her amusing attempts at beta.

Scare

"Hey!" she greeted as she came in, only to stop and stare. "Wow."

"Yeah." Carlos looked faintly amused. "That's been pretty much everyone's reaction."

She looked around the room slowly, torn between awe and disgust. "I didn't even know this many black flowers **existed**."

There were *everywhere*. On every surface, even the floor. All of them were black. There only seemed to be six varieties, and most of them were black roses. It was like standing in a florist shop.

Or a funeral parlor.

"Don't worry, they're not all real," he assured her, still watching her expression with a faint, almost smirk.

Her eyes caught on something on the table directly beside him, and her eyebrows went up. "Is that a fish?" Another pause, and she had to stop herself from gaping. "Is that a **live** fish?"

He nodded, glancing at the small fishbowl. Inside a small red and blue fish with long, feathery-looking fins continued to swim in circles. "Appeared this morning."

She frowned. "Appeared?" she echoed, moving to sit in the chair beside the bed.

"Card came with him." He nodded to the card on the bedside table. She eyed him, but he continued to stare at her, so she picked it up.

A black cloud was displayed on the front, raining on a blue background. In white text, the cloud read '_Caroline, I hate to think of you being sick_.'

_Caroline?_ she wondered, even as she opened it to read the inside. _Who's Caroline?_

'_So, instead I think of you riding a unicorn across a sky full of stars_', the card continued. The word unicorn had been crossed out, with '_space surfboard_' written next to it in blue ink. '_Get well soon!_' it finished. There were two signatures: '_The Amazing Rocko_' in blue ink, and a simple '_Adam_' in black. On the opposite side, someone had taped a folded up child's drawing of what she guessed was supposed to be the team on their Galaxy Gliders. Either that, or jelly beans on rainbow colored sticks. She wasn't entirely sure.

"They were teleported in," Carlos went on as she looked up. "I'm not sure who actually did it, but." He shrugged slightly, looking at the fish again. The corner of his mouth quirked. "At least it's not another bouquet of flowers."

"I guess that's something," she agreed slowly, shaking her head as she put the card back down. She tilted her head as she noticed the plant sitting beside the fishbowl. "That one doesn't have flowers," she noted, eyeing the broad, waxy green leaves.

"T.J.," he said simply.

She nodded once, reaching down into the bag she'd brought him. "Well, I don't know if my gift is as exciting as a fish or anything, but - "

"Books!" Carlos looked positively gleeful as he snatched them from her hands. "You're a **saint**, Cass. I've been bored out of my mind."

"What about TV?" she asked, amused at his genuine excitement. "They don't charge your room extra for that, do they?"

He eyed her from over the top of one of his books, already in the process of reading the back. "It's one o'clock in the afternoon. On Thursday. The only things on right now are daytime talk shows, soaps, and court TV."

She made a face. "Good point."

She let him continue to study what she'd brought him for another minute before poking him gently in the side. "So how much longer until you can escape?"

He rolled his eyes as he set the books down beside the fishbowl. "They wanna be sure I'm 'cleansed' first. I tried explaining about the Power so they'd get that I'm fine now, but - "

"But the Power's the reason you're in here in the first place," she protested, frowning. "Zhane said it flipped out over - " She stopped, swallowing hard. "Over the - "

_It's over now_, she reminded herself. _Carlos is gonna be fine. There's no reason to -_

"Why can't I even say it?" she burst out, blinking rapidly as her eyes burned. She shut them tightly, reaching up to rub at her face after a moment as she sniffled. "This is ridiculous!"

A hand reached out to take hers, tugging her gently toward the bed. She was sitting before she was really aware of what was going on, only to find her head resting on Carlos' shoulder. "This is stupid," she muttered finally, reaching up to hug him tightly. "**You're** the one who got hurt, not me."

"But you had to watch," he pointed out. "You think you're the first person to cry on my shoulder?"

She snorted wetly. "Ashley has an excuse. She's known you since you were kids."

There was a pause, and Carlos cleared his throat awkwardly. "Actually, I was talking about T.J."

She blinked, pulling back enough to stare at him. "**T.J.** cried?"

Carlos shrugged a little, looking uncomfortable. "He said he felt guilty for not taking those letters seriously."

That made her eyes burn again. "I guess we all do," she admitted quietly. "If we'd paid more attention - "

"What, and I did?" he countered. His annoyed expression faded after a moment, turning solemn. "None of us have been taking any of this seriously. We all kept pretending we could just go back to the way things were before. But we can't. Everything's changed now. We can never go back."

She bit her lip, sniffling slightly. "That's what Zhane said."

He made another face. "Don't tell him I said he was right," he warned. "We'll never hear the end of it."

"Don't tell who he was right?"

The both looked up as Zhane peered through the door. "Andros? Andros is never right," he informed them. "And even when he is, he's still not."

Cassie and Carlos exchanged looks. He shook his head as she fought a smile, trying not to laugh. "Just like everything is always his fault?" she offered.

"Only in the world of Andros," he returned cheerfully, claiming the chair beside the bed. "And we wonder why people think he's mentally unstable."

Something in Carlos' face darkened at that, and she gave him a wary look. "Carlos? What's wrong?"

He started to shake his head, then hesitated and sighed, still scowling. "Dr. Walsh thinks I need therapy. Said it would help me deal with the 'trauma' of the kidnapping."

There was an awkward pause.

"That might not be such a bad idea," Cassie offered carefully, trying not to shudder at the memory of what Carlos had looked like when they found him.

He gave her a black look. "I don't need therapy," he informed her flatly. "And I am **not** traumatized. I'm fine."

She glanced at Zhane, but there was a strangely blank look on his face. "Are you sure?" she pressed gently, turning her attention back to Carlos. "I mean ... no one could blame you if - "

"I was tied to a chair in a basement for three days," he interrupted, narrowing his eyes further. "It's not a big deal. We've dealt with worse."

"I dunno, I'd say kidnapping was one of the worst things I've been through," Zhane said abruptly, looking thoughtful now as he leaned back in the chair.

It took a moment for her to realize what he'd actually said. She blinked. "You were ... ?"

He gave her an easy half-grin, and for the first time she noticed it didn't actually reach his eyes. "Ranger kids? Of course we were kidnapped. There's no better way of getting a Ranger's attention than taking their kids."

She swallowed. "Oh." _How much do we actually know about Zhane?_ she wondered suddenly. _He woke up from cryo sleep, and then just sort of started ... appearing, whenever we needed him. But ... do we really __**know**__ him?_ "How old were - "

"Twelve. Cayden was six." Zhane shrugged lightly, as if it wasn't a big deal, which only made her all the more suspicious of how much of a deal it was. "Spent about a week in a cell with her attached to me."

"... Cayden?" Carlos asked warily, eyeing Zhane.

He could see it too, Cassie realized. Zhane was more bothered by this than he was letting on.

"My little sister," Zhane informed him. "She's thirteen now. If she's still alive," he added, almost as an afterthought, and his eyes darkened just long enough to be noticeable.

Then he shook his head. "But our family finally rescued us, tore through the kidnappers, and we spent a few months in therapy trying to deal with it. Sprite refused to sleep alone for about a year after that."

She frowned slightly. "You were in therapy?"

"Sure." Zhane blinked at her, seeming surprised. "With all the stuff Rangers go through? Of course we have therapists."

Carlos looked suspicious. "We do?"

Zhane nodded, giving him an odd look. "You didn't really think the rebels were the only reason I stayed on KO-35, did you?"

Cassie started slightly. "You mean you - "

"There was a Ranger Therapist in one of the camps." He shrugged a little. "I woke up after a battle to everyone I know gone, missing, or ... different. I remember being sixteen, but Andros says I'm nineteen now. I wasn't ready to deal with everything, and I needed someone to talk to." He glanced at Carlos out of the corner of his eye. "I can give you his name, if you want. I'd recommend a Ranger Therapist over one from Earth, anyway. Ranger Therapists are used to hearing about the sort of things we deal with every day."

Carlos started to say something, and she pinched his leg in warning, shooting him a look of her own. He glared slightly, stopped, and sighed. "Yeah," he said finally. "I guess ... I guess it couldn't hurt."

Zhane smiled at him. This time, Cassie noted, it reached his eyes.

Then he blinked, jumping slightly. "Oh! I got you something."

Carlos glanced at Cassie warily as Zhane took a moment to dig into his jacket pocket. She shrugged slightly, shaking her head silently. Whatever it was, Zhane hadn't told her about it.

"Ta da!"

She barely had a moment to wonder when Zhane had picked up the phrase 'ta da' before he was depositing something into Carlos' hands. She started as she saw what it was. Why would Zhane have gotten Carlos a -

And then it _moved_.

It was covered in black scales, excluding tiny bat-like wings, and dark green scales over its neck and stomach. It looked about four inches from nose to the tip of its tail, and two and a half inches high. Each wing was slightly longer than its body. It was quite possibly the most frighteningly adorable thing she had ever seen.

The tiny creature looked around, stretched its wings, and yawned. Turning in a circle, it looked up at Carlos, cocking its head. Carlos froze, staring at it with wide eyes.

An odd choked noise escaped Cassie's throat before she could stop it. " ... Is that ... a **dragon**?" she forced out.

Zhane glanced at her, blinking. "Mini-dragon," he corrected. "What? Should I have gotten a stuffed one? I mean, I heard they're lucky, but I don't know why you'd want a dead animal to carry around." He made a face.

She stared back at him. "Zhane - " She stopped herself, shaking her head. This was Zhane she was talking to. Maybe he'd just gotten the idea and ran with it instead of thinking it through all the way. He was just trying to cheer Carlos up, same as the rest of them. "We don't know anything about taking care of a dragon," she tried again. "I mean, what does it even eat? Where are we gonna put it when it gets bigger?" She paused, but she had to ask. "Where did you even **get** a dragon?"

"Hey, just because dragons are extinct on Earth doesn't mean they don't exist anywhere else," Zhane argued, frowning at her. "I bought him at an intergalactic market. Karone wanted to look for some things, and we ended up finding him while we were there. He eats meat, same as any other dragon. And he's a mini, not a full-grown dragon. They only get to be about this big." He held out his hands, making a box about the size of a cat.

She hesitated, biting her lip. "But ... " She glanced at Carlos.

Carlos was still staring at the dragon in his hands. His shock was beginning to border on an expression of panic. It would have been funny if she didn't feel the same.

The tiny dragon sneezed. Sparks shot out of its nose, making them all jump. Then it yawned, turning in a circle before laying down in Carlos' cupped hands and closing its eyes.

"Aw look, he's already bonded with you," Zhane cooed.

Carlos looked up at him, slightly alarmed. "He has?"

Zhane nodded, beaming. "Dragons only sleep around people they're comfortable with. They're really great judges of character, too. And **really** protective."

Carlos glanced down at the little creature again. The panic was beginning to fade from his expression. "Most people just get a dog," he commented weakly.

"Dogs are boring," Zhane dismissed.

Cassie stared at them. Was Carlos actually okay with this? " ... Hey!" she protested belatedly.

"Jetson doesn't count," Zhane assured her. "He's the first dog I've ever seen enjoy being on the megaship. That automatically makes him not boring."

She mock-scowled at him, fighting a smile. "I have another dog at home," she informed him. "And Sandy isn't boring, either."

They both gave her an odd look at that, and it took her a moment to understand why. _I haven't thought of it as home in months_, she realized. _The megaship has always been home_.

They all looked up at the knock on the door. An middle-aged man poked his head into the room, nodding calmly at all of them. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's time for another check," he informed them apologetically.

Cassie glanced at Carlos, raising her eyebrows in silent question. Dr. Walsh had been a definite improvement over Dr. Marsden, as he seemed to be understanding of the rest of the team coming in and out without being as star-struck as the other doctor had been, but that didn't necessarily mean they trusted him completely. It was hard to trust anyone right now.

Carlos hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. He smiled when she looked skeptical, nodding in assurance.

She looked at Zhane to see what he thought about it, but Zhane was watching the dragon intently. The dragon was still carefully cupped in Carlos' hands, curled up into a ball. But one golden eye had opened, regarding the doctor as he came into the room. It stared at him for a minute, yawned, and closed the eye again.

Zhane beamed, bouncing to his feet and tugging Cassie up off the bed. "We'll get out of your way then, doctor. Call if you need anything, Carlos."

"Real food?"

Cassie grinned as Dr. Walsh gave him a stern look. "And is there something wrong with what we've been giving you?"

Carlos shrugged. "Sorry doc, but I've been craving a burger for two days now."

They were almost out the door when she saw Dr. Walsh frown. "What is **that**?"

She and Zhane looked at each other, and bolted.

They were halfway down the hall, laughing at each other, before she stopped to look at him. "Why a dragon?" she asked, tilting her head with a frown.

"Mini-dragon," Zhane corrected again. He shrugged lightly. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

She narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms. "Nice try. Why'd you really get it?"

For a moment she didn't think he was going to tell her. Then he sighed, reaching up to run a hand over his hair. "I wasn't kidding before," he said finally. "Dragons are fantastic judges of character, and really protective of the people they bond with. If there's anyone around Carlos that isn't trustworthy, he'll know. And he's a lot more dangerous than he looks. They have long lifespans, too."

She blinked as Zhane shrugged again. "Plus he's small enough to fit in a pocket, so Carlos can carry him around anywhere."

_"I dunno, I'd say kidnapping was one of the worst things I've been through."_

"You don't think he's as okay as he says he is, do you?" she asked softly.

There was a pause, and at last Zhane looked at her with serious eyes. "No," he said bluntly. "I think he's absolutely terrified, but he's afraid to admit it." He gave another shrug. "I was."

She bit her lip, blinking hard.

"That doesn't mean I don't think he'll **ever **be okay again," he added abruptly. "But I think he needs some kind of reassurance that it won't happen again."

"Like the dragon," she whispered, closing her eyes.

Arms came around her, pulling her into a hug as Zhane rested his chin on her head. "Mini-dragon," he reminded her quietly. "Someday I'll have to take you to the market so you can see the difference." He paused, and a hand came up to run over her hair. "We didn't fail him, Cassie," he said quietly. "It may feel like we did, but we really didn't."

A sob escaped before she could stop it. "Are - are you sure?" she sniffled.

"He's still here, isn't he? Yeah, he's a little roughed up, but we didn't lose him."

She let out a shaky sigh, at last opening her eyes. "I'm so tired of being scared all the time," she whispered.

"You weren't scared of Astronema's monsters?"

"That was different." She swallowed, because she didn't really want to admit this, but somehow she figured Zhane would understand. "It's normal to be scared of monsters. Being scared of the people you're supposed to be protecting ... "

He was silent for a moment. "Yeah," he said eventually. "It is."

She closed her eyes again, leaning into him, and took a few moments just to breathe. _Carlos is alive. He's safe now. We're all still here, and we're all still together. Everything will be okay._

It took awhile for her to figure out that Zhane was whispering the words in her ear.


	14. Slander

I'm not all that fond of this chapter - barring certain 'rumors' about Andros - but it is what it is. -Shrugs-

Love to phantom_blue, challon86, and purplestripe66 for help with rumors, and pushing me to work on this. Additional love to challon86 for beta.

Slander

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Cassie stared at the comm screen, ignoring the sudden awkward silence behind her. It wasn't much of a party, certainly nothing like the welcome Carlos' mother had given him when he'd finally been released from the hospital - let alone the crowd of people waiting outside with banners and signs cheering at the sight of him walking out unaided - but it didn't matter much. Just the team, Alpha, D.E.C.A., and Carlos' new pet enjoying dinner together with balloons and streamers everywhere, courtesy of Ashley and Zhane. They'd called it a welcome home party, but it was really just an excuse to get them all together and silently celebrate the fact that Carlos was safe. Things had finally wound down, leaving Ashley and Carlos arguing over what to name his dragon, T.J. watching them in amusement, Andros and Karone talking quietly, and Zhane sprawled back in a chair, sipping at his juice as he stared off into space. Which was why Cassie had eventually turned her attention to the comm, absently flipping through local channels.

Apparently, this was a mistake.

"What is it?" Andros asked at last. She could hear the frown in his voice.

Wordlessly she turned up the volume, stepping aside to let the others see.

A picture of Cassie and Zhane was being displayed. It was shortly after they'd left Carlos' hospital room, when Zhane had hugged her and told her everything would be okay. Her face was turned away, hiding the fact that she was almost in tears, and Zhane looked like he was kissing her hair.

"_The rumor that the Pink and Silver Rangers are in fact a couple is still unconfirmed, as the Rangers have been out of contact with the general public, but sources from Angel Grove General claim that they appeared to be very close, even holding hands as they left. This of course has fed into the recent accusations that the Rangers have been ignoring the destruction done to Earth in the wake of Astronema's attack, and that while the Rangers are willing to help save the planet, they are not willing to help in the aftermath. Others insist that the picture of a clearly private moment is a sign that Black Ranger Carlos Vallerte has been left with psychological damage in the wake of his kidnapping. All recent attempts to make contact with the Rangers has failed._"

She lowered the volume back down, turning to look at the others. Ashley looked stunned. T.J. and Andros both looked annoyed, while Karone seemed thoughtful.

"Psychological damage?" Carlos demanded, insulted.

"We're not helping with the cleanup because we're too busy dealing with everything else," T.J. muttered darkly.

Andros shook his head, letting out a breath in a way that would be a huff from anyone else but Andros. "Rangers don't help with cleanup. It distracts us from guarding against new threats," he said with a frown. "It's standard procedure." For a moment he looked like he might say more, but seemed to catch himself.

_Probably wanted to say something about Earth being sheltered and backwards again_, Cassie thought irritably. He hadn't actually said it aloud at least, but after nearly a year of being teammates, she knew what he was thinking.

_Has it really been a year?_ she wondered. _We lost the Command Center in February ..._ Even now, the thought still hurt, and she swallowed painfully. _It's just after New Years now, so ... a year next month. Wow._ Her eyes flickered to Andros. Sometimes it was hard to imagine a time he hadn't been her friend, that she hadn't been an Astro Ranger. That she hadn't known him, Zhane, and D.E.C.A. forever. Other times it seemed like they'd only just met.

"Cassie?" Ashley ventured hesitantly. "Are you all right?"

She realized abruptly that she'd been clenching her fists so tightly that her hands were starting to hurt. She forced herself to relax, flexing her fingers for a moment. "Yeah," she said belatedly, as Ashley looked worried. "I'm just ... " She shook her head, at a loss for what to say. Her privacy had been invaded. There weren't words for what she was feeling.

" ... There are so many jokes I want to make right now I don't know where to begin."

She blinked, turning to look at Zhane. He was still sprawled back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head and a bemused look on his face. She saw Andros give him an irritated glance out of the corner of her eye, and Zhane shrugged absently. "It's true," he argued. "Rumors and speculations are part of being a Ranger," he informed them all as he glanced around. He shrugged again. "You get used to it."

"I always liked the story about the bar brawl on Santis 5," Karone commented mildly, glancing over at her brother. "How Andros got that bounty on his head."

"Oh, that one's true," Zhane assured her. "That's why we can't go anywhere near the Sani Systems anymore. My favorite was the one where Andros was carrying my child."

T.J. laughed. "I take it that one was started by someone who didn't know human men can't bear children?"

Zhane waved a hand dismissively. "No, of course we can. I just thought it was funny because if we ever did have a child together, obviously **I'd** be the one to carry it. Andros would make a terrible mother."

T.J. and Carlos stared at him. Carlos looked horrified. T.J. seemed to be trying to judge whether or not he was kidding. Ashley just looked confused.

Cassie eyed him. He didn't **look** like he was just teasing them, but with Zhane you never really knew.

"Bounty ... ?" Ashley said slowly.

Andros cleared his throat hastily. "Guys," he said loudly, calling everyone's attention to him. "We need to figure out what we're gonna do about this."

"Press conference," Zhane said immediately.

"Can we do that?" Cassie asked warily.

He blinked at her. "Why wouldn't we be able to do one?"

She frowned. "Well, Rangers aren't supposed to - " She stopped, realizing what she was about to say, and sighed. "Nevermind. I guess it really doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

"What doesn't matter?" Andros asked, frowning as well.

She shrugged a little. "Well, one of the first things Dimitria told us was that we should never reveal our identities. But that's sort of a moot point now."

"What's a moot point?" Zhane asked blankly.

"It means it doesn't matter anymore," she explained.

Karone frowned. "I don't understand why it mattered in the first place. I knew, so why didn't everyone else?"

"It's because Earth isn't officially part of the Alliance." Andros told her. "Under Ranger Etiquette Law, that requires that they remain as separated from other planets as possible."

She gave him a look. "Earth was being invaded and everyone knew about it. How does knowing who their Rangers are make a difference?"

"Technically, anyone outside of Angel Grove as always thought the Power Rangers were urban myth," T.J. told her with a shrug. "I did before I moved here."

Cassie nodded. "Me, too."

Andros sighed. "It's standard Ranger Law," he said again, his tone clearly declaring the discussion over. "And if we're going to hold a press conference, there's some things we need to go over first."

Karone shook her head, eyeing him. Cassie could have **sworn** she heard her mutter "Rangers," under her breath.

"Like what?" Ashley asked, frowning.

"Who's going to be our main representative, for one," he told her. "Press conferences run smoother when there's only one or two people answering questions. And there's less chance of getting our stories mixed up."

"But shouldn't that be you?" Carlos asked, catching his mini-dragon before he could steal a mouthful of cake. "I mean, you are our leader."

"Andros is not allowed to talk to reporters," Zhane interrupted firmly. "Not after the Drenali incident."

Ashley started. "The - "

"How many 'incidents' do you have?" Carlos demanded, looking at Andros suspiciously.

"T.J.," Cassie cut in.

He glanced at her, looking vaguely amused at the shifty expression on Andros' face. "What?"

"You should be the one to do the talking," she told him.

He stared. "Me? Why me?"

She shrugged lightly, counting off on her fingers. "You were leader of the Turbo Rangers. You're good with people. You don't have much of a temper. You're good at getting people to listen to you." She shrugged again, offering a faint smirk. "You want me to go on?"

Zhane nodded in agreement. "And you know Earth better than me or Andros. I can coach you."

"If you're gonna coach me on what to say, why can't you be the one to do it?" T.J. demanded.

"Because people will trust a Ranger from their own planet first," he explained patiently. "They always trust someone they think they can recognize."

"Any other tips?" Cassie asked him, amused.

He looked thoughtful. "They'll ask us about the rumors that are going around, obviously. Like you and me, and Carlos. Probably what happened with Andros at the hospital. They'll definitely ask who me and Andros are, and want to know all about us. Probably Karone, too. And they'll ask what happened with Astronema and all that." He leaned further back in his chair to the point that he looked like he was about to fall over, rubbing the back of his neck. "Earth has never known anything about Rangers before, so they'll want to know all about where the Power comes from and how we were all chosen and why. Why no one knew who you are. Who the former Rangers are." He paused, frowning. "They'll want to know about the Golden Wave."

There was an awkward pause as Andros looked away, and everyone else pretended not to notice the tears in his eyes.

"So ... what are we going to tell them?" Ashley asked softly.

* * *

"Cassie?"

There was a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't jump. She continued to stare vacantly out the window, not bothering to turn. "Yeah."

Ashley hesitated. "Are you okay ... ?"

They'd just spent an hour trying to come up with the worst things people might want to know about them and how to respond back. They'd spent an hour with Zhane pushing everyone's buttons, **trying** to make them angry to help them learn to control their emotions. "_Never get emotional during a press conference_," he'd warned. "_It always comes back to get you later_."

They'd spent an hour rehearsing how to let T.J. do the talking, how to ignore rude questions. How to respond to a direct question. How to answer that no, she wasn't dating the Silver Ranger, while not losing her temper against anyone for invading her privacy when her friend was trying to comfort her in the first place, and without offending Carlos in the process.

Part of her wanted to snap that it was a stupid question. Part of her wanted to burst into tears and hug her best friend. Part of her wanted to find a way to go back in time and make it all go away.

Instead she let out a slow sigh. "We need to do something about the Formers," she said quietly. "We can't keep avoiding them like this. And we can't do ... " She trailed off, gesturing widely over the main bridge of the Dark Fortress and ending on the viewscreen showing Earth. "**This**, without help."

"I know," Ashley agreed softly, moving to stand side by side. "We need help. I was thinking we might want to ask them to run security for us at the press conference too, if they're willing." She hesitated, shuddering slightly. "I don't want anyone else to - to - "

Cassie moved to wrap her arms around the other girl's, squeezing gently. "I know," she agreed, squeezing again as Ashley leaned in closer and dropping her chin to rest on Ashley's shoulder. "I just ... I'm not sure what we should say, or who to talk to. I'm not sure we'll even be able to get the guys to agree with us on this."

"T.J. might," Ashley murmured. "If it's for everyone's safety. But Carlos won't. I'm not sure about Zhane ... "

She nodded, ignoring the awkwardness of it from her position. Zhane understood that some times they needed to do what was necessary for the sake of others - sometimes better than they did themselves - but it was Andros that had had been hurt by it all. "Same with Karone. And we definitely don't want Andros there."

Ashley swallowed. "I'm still angry," she admitted. "That they didn't even ... They didn't even **try** to understand!" she burst out. "They just **attacked** him without - "

"And if we get angry about it without trying to understand, we're just as bad as they were," Cassie interrupted with another sigh, tilting her head toward Ashley's. "Trust me, Ash. I'm with you on this. But we can't fix Earth by ourselves. We need their help."

"I wish we didn't," Ashley muttered, sounding surprisingly bitter.

"Me, too," she agreed.

They stood together in silence for a few minutes.

"So who do we contact?" Ashley sighed at last.

Cassie shrugged a shoulder. "I'm not really sure. Any ideas?"

Ashley frowned in thought. "Trini," she decided finally. "We should start with her."

"Do we even know how to get ahold of her?"

Ashley nodded slightly. "She and Aisha gave me their contact information before - well, before."

Another pause, and Cassie sighed again. "You want me to do it?"

Ashley hesitated. " ... Would you be mad if I said yes?" she asked in a small voice.

Cassie smiled a little, but there wasn't any happiness in it. "No. You want me to?"

" ... No. No, I'll do it."

She waited, and after what seemed like an eternity Ashley finally reached for the comm. Her fingers hesitated again briefly over the keys, before at last she began to select the combination that would allow her to 'dial' a phone on the planet below. They waited together, still holding on to one another, as the comm finally began to ring.

" ... Hello?"


	15. Attack

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the combination of Mountain Dew Code Red and Ben&Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch is **lethal**. Also yummy. -Beams-

This ... was not where I was planning for this chapter to go. But I like it.

Love to Challon86 for beta.

Attack

Whatever Cassie had been expecting when she, Ashley, and a reluctant T.J. teleported to Angel Grove Park - the 'neutral zone' as it had been dubbed - it wasn't this.

Rocky was whistling to himself and turning hot dogs on a grill. He glanced up as the pink sparkles cleared her vision, offering a bright smile. "Hey! I hope you guys are hungry!"

Cassie blinked.

He paused, frowning slightly. "None of you are vegetarians or anything, are you?"

"No ... " Ashley said slowly. "Um, Rocky, what are you doing?"

"Making lunch," he said cheerfully. "I thought that was obvious."

"Why?" T.J. asked warily. "I thought we were here for - "

"If you say the d-word, I'm not making you seconds," Rocky warned.

Cassie blinked again. "I'm ... sorry? I don't understand."

"This is not a 'diplomatic meeting'," he informed the grill as he turned the hotdogs again. "This is a gathering of friends to discuss a problem. We are not representatives of warring factions. So, we're having a barbeque at the lake and talking. Maybe going for a walk. The lake's pretty nice this time of year."

Cassie exchanged glances with Ashley.

T.J. seemed to be struggling for words. "Uh ... "

Rocky stopped, setting down the tongs and looking up at the three of them with a pained expression. "Zordon wouldn't have wanted that," he finished softly. For a moment his eyes seemed to water; then he blinked and went back to watching the grill.

"He's right."

Cassie glanced up to see Zack approaching them with a plate while Trini continued to set out places at the nearby picnic table. "Zordon would have hated to know any of us weren't getting along, no matter what the reason," Zack continued, looking solemn. "That's why we agreed to meet with you. Because fighting isn't what Zordon would have wanted."

The words were on the tip of her tongue, to ask how they could _possibly_ know what Zordon had wanted, when it had been _her_ team putting their lives on the line for the past eleven months trying to find him, _her_ leader that had been the one to strike the final blow at Zordon's request. _Her_ friend that had cried over what he had done, was **still** depressed and upset and hurting. How dare they bring what Zordon would have wanted into this?

But T.J.'s hand was on her back, reminding her why they were there, and she took a deep breath instead.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" she asked instead, managing a smile that looked at least half-way sincere.

Lunch was awkward. Rocky had made a point to sit between her and T.J., forcing Ashley opposite her with Trini between Ashley and Zack. They made small talk, about the food, the nice day, Ashley's outfit. She found herself wishing she'd brought Jetson as a moodbreaker again, at the same time as she wished they'd never come at all.

What were they **doing** here? Why were they even bothering? It was obvious that no one wanted to be here. Why were they trying so hard to make peace when it was so clear that none of them were ready to make the first move?

Needless to say, she jumped when Rocky laughed abruptly.

"What is it?" T.J. asked, eyeing him warily.

Rocky shook his head, looking down at his plate with a humorless smile. "Just thinking about how ridiculous this all is. I mean, seriously. This is perfect picnic weather? Really?" He shot Ashley a look, his smile widening a little. His smile faded after a moment, Fand he sighed. "I just ... I don't know. Rangers have always been family. It was never supposed to be this hard to talk to each other."

Cassie blinked for a moment, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat as her eyes burned. "But we don't know each other," she pointed out quietly. "The only reason we know any of you is because of Justin. The six of us have never met. The only thing we have in common is that we're all Rangers."

No one missed the way Rocky flinched at Justin's name, or how Zack winced and Trini looked pained.

T.J.'s eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with Justin?" he demanded, his voice booking no room for argument.

There was a long sigh. "Justin's dad left him at the Shelter when he was eleven years old," Rocky said at last. He was still staring at his plate, and his eyes seemed haunted. "His mom had just died, and his dad bailed on him. He felt like he'd been abandoned. It took me months to get him to open up to me, to start to trust me. And then right after he became a Ranger, I started college and he was busy saving the world. I wasn't around for him anymore. The other guys were there for a few months, but then they retired and started working and trying to build their own lives outside of Rangering. Tommy was always traveling, Kat wasn't even in the country anymore. And then there was you guys, but you had to leave to go into space."

The lump in her throat was back, and she suddenly felt cold. "'I think about you guys all the time'," she murmured, remembering. "'Wonder if you're okay'." Had she actually told him they were fine?

T.J. looked like he was going to be sick. Ashley had tears in her eyes. "He thought we abandoned him too, didn't he?" she asked. She swallowed hard. "That's why he's been acting so weird."

Rocky nodded, looking sympathetic. "It's not anyone's fault," he said with surprising gentleness. "Things just happened. But to a twelve-year-old kid with abandonment issues? Yeah. He thought you did. But he's also smart enough to know it's not because you wanted to, which makes it even worse. Because his head's telling him one thing, but his heart's telling him another."

"How do you know?" T.J. asked hoarsely. Of all of them, he'd always felt the most responsible for Justin. She didn't know if it was because he'd been their leader, or because of Justin's age. While he never really talked about them very often, she knew he had a younger brother just a little older than Justin. He waved a hand vaguely. "How do you know ... any of this?"

Rocky sighed, reaching up to run a hand over his head. "Well, for one I've known Justin for about two years now," he pointed out. "But there's also the whole thing with the Zeo and Turbo Powers. I saw things in his head he didn't want me to know. I can't say much more than that because I don't want to invade Justin's privacy, but I think you guys need to understand or it'll never get any better for him. Like I said, it's not just that he's mad about being left behind. It's because he knows there was no other way it could have happened, and he can't change that. Because he **knows** he shouldn't feel the way he does. But he's still thirteen years old. He's not a kid anymore, but in some ways he is."

There was a long moment of silence before at last Trini sighed. "You have to understand something," she began slowly. "We - Zack and I that is - don't really know Justin, either. Not the way Rocky does. Not even the way Tommy, Adam, Kat, and Tanya do. But that doesn't matter. He's still a Ranger. Just like the six of you. For us, Rangers have always been family. And it's ... it's hard when we can't talk to each other anymore."

"The six of us that Zordon chose first were tight," Zack put in quietly. "When me, Trini, and Jase left the team, it changed things. So for us, knowing that we're not always there for each other is just ... wrong. We're a team. We're supposed to have each other's backs."

Cassie felt her fists clench, and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming at him. **They** hadn't been the ones to turn away from each other. Why were they lecturing **her** team, when it was the rest of them that had turned against them?

She started slightly as a hand touched hers, and looked up to see Trini watching her with a surprisingly soft expression. "Say it, Cassie," she said quietly. "Whatever you're thinking, it's not going to help any of us work this out unless you say it."

She closed her eyes, taking a slow, deep breath in an effort to calm herself down. It didn't help.

"You're always lecturing us," she said abruptly, her voice tight and full of anger. She knew she was accusing them, which was the one thing she, Ashley, and T.J. had all agreed **not** to do, but she couldn't help it. There were too many feelings bottled up inside of her screaming to get out, and she was so _tired_ of trying to hold everything in. "You're always talking about how much Zordon means to all of you, and how important your relationship to each other is, and how much you've done, and ... and it's just - sickening!" she burst out at last. "You never stop to listen to **us**, about what **we've** been through, what **we** know. Just because you're older than us or because you were Rangers first doesn't mean anything! It just means we're different. That doesn't make you better than us!"

The sudden silence was deafening.

"You accused Andros without even asking," Ashley said suddenly, her voice barely a whisper. One of the tears she'd been fighting finally slipped free, and she brushed it away impatiently. "You never stopped to ask any of us how **he** felt about what he did. You just assumed ... " She stopped, swallowing again as her voice cracked.

"Did you know we lost the Power Chamber?" T.J. spoke up. His voice was almost casual, but his fists were clenched on top of the table. "Divatox won. We lost the Zords. We ... " He stopped suddenly, shuddering, and Cassie closed her eyes, knowing what he was about to say.

"We were in the Power Chamber when the Piranatrons invaded," he managed finally, ignoring Trini's sharp gasp. "We watched them coming in. We were ... we were still inside when it exploded. I don't know how we survived but ... " He trailed off, shaking his head. "We went after Zordon because Dimitria was gone and we didn't have anyone else to tell us what to do. We tried to save him because there was _nothing else left_. And we found Andros, fighting alone. Zhane woke up from a coma to join us, and we still lost. **Again**." He stopped, taking another breath to try and calm himself. He was still shaking. "When Astronema asked for the Power Rangers to give themselves up, we spent an entire night trying to figure out what we were going to do. We sacrificed **everything** we had, again, to try and protect Earth. To try and save Zordon." He stopped again, and his voice came out low and harsh. "_Where were you?_"

Ashley was crying now, sniffling quietly. Cassie was biting her lip so hard she was surprised she wasn't bleeding yet. T.J. went silent, looking away from them all to stare into the distance. His hands were still shaking.

"I was in New York."

She looked up to see Zack watching them all, his face expressionless. "I was using a morpher that wasn't strong enough to protect me, but I used it anyway because I couldn't just stand there and watch. Trini was in London, with Kat." He gestured to her. "Kim was in France. Aisha was in Cairo." He leaned forward, staring at them intently. "We were still here. Maybe we weren't right next to you, but that doesn't mean we weren't fighting."

"Then why are we fighting with each other now?" Ashley whispered.

Silence.

"You never asked what happened, you know." Cassie wasn't sure what made her say it. She was staring at Trini, because right now she was fighting the urge to break Zack's nose and she didn't even want to know where Rocky had been anymore. Trini stared back, tears in her eyes even as her expression remained solemn. "With Andros," she clarified, and pretended not to notice Zack turning to look at her. "You never asked what he did or why. You just assumed ... " She stopped, trying not to picture Andros' expression when he'd told them that he destroyed Zordon and failed. She swallowed hard, taking a shaky breath. "This was a bad idea," she said finally, moving to stand. "We shouldn't have come."

Rocky caught her arm. "Cassie - "

She told herself later it was reflex, but deep down she knew she was lying. The moment his hand touched her, something inside of her snapped. The feeling of his jaw beneath her fist was satisfying in a way ranting at Trini or punching the wall in the Glider Bay would never be.

The sob that broke out was unexpected, though.

Ashley was beside her before she even registered the other girl moving, arms around her shoulders and hugging tightly. She could hear Ashley whispering in her ear, trying to calm her down, but she didn't remember burying her face against her shoulder and trying to breathe. Her chest felt tight, and her head was screaming and everything was _wrong_ and she just wanted it to stop. She wanted to be an ordinary teenager who'd never had to save the world, never had to watch her brother turn away from her, never had to explain to her family why she didn't hate them. Never had to see one of her best friends, someone she saw as family, break down in tears because he'd been forced to destroy his own friend. She wanted to be someone who'd never seen the stars, only to be trapped on Earth with people who hated her for not doing enough or wanted to know all her secrets or didn't want to know her at all.

"I'm so tired," she choked out. "I'm so _tired_, Ash."

"I know." The other girl's voice was full of tears, and she could feel a hand stroking her hair. "I know."

Dimly she thought she heard the sound of voices, but they weren't the people who mattered and she didn't care what they had to say anymore. She knew Ashley was holding her, and that at one point T.J.'s hand was on her shoulder, and then she could feel the tingling sensation that came with teleporting. There were more voices, people who _mattered_ now, and she could hear Zhane murmuring that everything would be okay, and Carlos trying to tell her not to cry, and Andros asking if she needed anything. She vaguely remembered Karone's arm around her, helping her walk, and the sound of her and Ashley talking softly above her head as she fell asleep.

But it didn't matter if she knew what they were saying now. They were there, and she knew she was safe.


	16. Walk

This picture helped inspire the first part of the chapter, because the guy looks freakishly like Andros. o.O fc02. deviantart. net/fs15/f/2007/055/f/b/Comfort_Me_by_Monique_du_Bois. jpg

For Challon86, because she asked for Andros and Cassie bonding.

Walk

"Can't sleep?"

The voice was soft enough that she didn't startle when it broke the silence. She glanced up to see Andros silhouetted in the doorway to the Glider Bay. She shrugged a little, making no move to get up from the table.

"Lights." He moved to join her, sitting beside her instead of across. "I thought sitting in the dark and brooding was supposed to be my thing."

His voice was gentle, teasing in a way Andros rarely was, and she eventually lifted a shoulder again. "Sorry to steal your shtick," she murmured.

There was a pause, and she waited for him to ask what a 'shtick' was. But he stayed quiet, watching her for a few minutes. "Wanna go for a walk?" he offered finally.

She opened her mouth to say no and stopped. At last she nodded, and he gave her another soft smile. His arm went around her as they stood, and she heard him ask D.E.C.A. to send them to Angel Grove Lake just before the world dissolved into pink sparkles.

It was quiet. Few people came to the park at night, even now that Astronema was gone. Before it was common sense; now it was just habit. The result was peaceful, letting the two of them walk around the lake's edge in silence as she hugged her arms for warmth and looked up at the stars.

"Thank you," Andros said suddenly.

She glanced at him. "For what?"

He hesitated. "I was ... watching," he admitted. "When the three of you went to talk to them today." Almost yesterday now, but neither of them really cared. "I saw the way you defended me and what I did, and I wanted to thank you for that."

She frowned. "You're my friend. Of course I'd defend you." She paused, realizing what the real problem was, and moved closer to put a hand on his shoulder. "Andros ... you did the right thing."

He flinched. She pretended not to notice. "I know it was hard, and that it wasn't easy for you. I know you wish you hadn't. But you did the right thing."

He closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "I'm not so sure I can believe that," he confessed.

"I do," she said simply. "Whenever you have trouble remembering that it was right, come to me. I'll remind you."

He smiled a little. "Does that mean you'll let me help you?"

She dropped her hand, turning to look out at the lake and closing her eyes as she hugged herself again. "I don't know if you can. I don't know if anyone can," she admitted softly.

This time it was his hand on her shoulder, and he stepped closer to wrap his arm around her. "I used to think that. Once. But then a very wise person told me we're all in this together."

A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Really."

"Really," he confirmed, and his other arm came up to pull her into a hug. "I'll leave it alone if you really want me to. But if you need someone to listen, I can do that, too."

For a long moment, she debated. She really **didn't** want to unload on him, but at the same time Andros wasn't normally the caring and sharing type, and if they were ever going to break him of that habit, she'd have to encourage him while she could. "That's so not fair," she muttered. She was still starting across the lake, but she knew instinctively he was trying not to smile. She thought about elbowing him in the gut just because she could, and decided against it.

Instead she sighed. "You know the feeling when everything just keeps building up, and you want to deal with it or ignore it, but it's too much to deal with at once, and you end up getting buried in it until you just explode?"

"Unfortunately."

"Yeah. It's like that."

"What's like that?" he pressed.

She huffed, shrugging the shoulder he wasn't leaning against. "Everything? It just seems like ever since we came back to Earth all this stuff just keeps happening one after another, and I just ... I can't handle it anymore."

"That's why you have us."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. It was weird to have him standing this close to her at all, let alone when they weren't trying to stare at the same monitor screen, and as much as she wanted him to back off, she knew it wouldn't help either of them. She had a feeling he knew it too, which annoyed her all the more. "You're a hypocrite, you know that?"

She felt him shrug, and now she **knew** he was smiling. Jerk. "Runs in the team." He paused, squeezing her slightly. "Why don't you try breaking it down for me?"

She sighed again, tilting her head to lean against his. "My parents. My brother and sister. My brother. People knowing who we are. People taking my picture." Anger surged, and she swallowed, trying to force herself to calm down. "Carlos. This stupid press conference. The former Rangers." She stopped, taking a deep breath, and eyed him again. "You pushing me to talk about everything."

"You don't have to," he reminded her.

She rolled her eyes. "But you never ask, so I feel like if I don't tell you, I'll ruin whatever social skills you're finally developing. If it were anyone but you asking, I wouldn't have to worry about it."

"I **have** social skills," he huffed, sounding like himself for the first time that night.

"Uh huh. So which one of us are you trying to imagine what they would say in this situation?"

There was a long pause.

"Ashley and Zhane," he muttered eventually, sounding sulky.

It wasn't funny, but she laughed anyway.

They fell silent again, but it seemed less awkward this time. She leaned into him a little more, and he adjusted his arm to hug her more comfortably. "So does this go both ways?" she murmured. "If I ask you what's bothering you, will you tell me?"

"I think one of us having a breakdown at a time is enough for now."

She rolled her eyes.

After a moment, he sighed quietly. " ... I'm worried. About the conference mostly, but Karone, too."

She frowned. "Because of the conference?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "I ... I don't want her there. It isn't safe. But if I tell her that, she'll just ignore me."

"Probably," she agreed.

"Definitely," he countered, sounding annoyed. "Sometimes I think she does things just to contradict me."

She smiled faintly. "Most likely. Tony and I are like that." She swallowed, tears pricking her eyes. "We used to be like that," she corrected quietly.

Andros was silent for a moment. "Karone and I never contradicted each other before," he said finally, sounding pained. "We always agreed on everything."

She reached up to squeeze his hand. "But you've both grown up since then," she reminded him softly. "You're not kids anymore. You've lived different lives, and you're different people. It makes things different, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"It feels like it is," he whispered.

She turned around to give him a hug, closing her eyes. "Yeah," she admitted, swallowing down the lump in her throat again. "It does."

It was sort of funny. Andros was her friend, her teammate, but she'd never thought much about the similarities between them before. There weren't many, but the others didn't know what it was like to be a twin, let alone to lose one. She and Tony may not be actually related the way Andros and Karone were, but the feelings were still the same. It was hard to rebuild a relationship with your best friend when they weren't the person you remembered anymore.

The sound of sand crunching softly beneath feet made her spin, instinctively striking up a defensive stance as Andros did the same. The person stopped walking; holding up their hands in surrender. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Cassie lowered her arms slowly in recognition, but didn't relax. "What are you doing here?" It came out ruder than she'd meant to sound, but she didn't apologize.

A slight shrug. "I think a lot of us are having trouble sleeping tonight."

She wasn't reassured, especially with Andros standing slightly behind her, stiff as a board. "What do you want, Trini?"

"A lot of things," came the quiet reply. "World peace. A new car. Hot chocolate. For Billy to come home. For Zordon to still be alive." She shrugged again. "At the moment, I want to stop fighting with you. I want to understand, so we can be friends again."

"**We** weren't the ones that changed that!" Cassie snapped.

Andros put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly as he took a step forward. He looked at Trini solemnly, and Cassie clenched her fists again as she recognized his 'diplomatic' expression. "What will it take for us to be at peace with you?"

Trini looked at him for a moment. "How did he die?" she asked softly.

It was the first time Cassie hadn't seen him flinch at the thought of Zordon. Instead, he took a slow, deep breath. "Karone - my sister - was still Astronema. She attacked me. I tried to defend myself without hurting her, but she - " He cut off, sounding choked.

Cassie moved in closer, pressing against his shoulder in silent support. She wanted to tell him to stop, to tell Trini to leave it alone, but the look on his face told her he wouldn't let her. He wouldn't talk about what had happened on his own, but if the memory would help someone else to find closure, he'd force himself to suffer through it.

It was one of his more annoying self-destructive tendencies.

"Karone fell," he whispered finally, and even in the darkness she could see the tears in his eyes. "Ecliptor forced the door open and attacked me. He was grieving. He ... he said she was like a daughter to him." He swallowed hard, and she slipped her hand into his, squeezing gently. He took another slow breath, giving a slight squeeze back.

"Zordon's tube was behind me. When I first found him, he'd asked me to destroy him. But I couldn't. Zordon ... Zordon was my friend. When KO-35 fell, and all I had left was D.E.C.A. and the Astro Megaship, Zordon was the one who kept me going. He wouldn't let me give up. I didn't - " He stopped again, shuddering slightly.

"I didn't want to do it," he said finally. "But Karone was gone, and Dark Spectre was winning, and Zordon said that the energy in his tube could stop it all. And so ... " He swallowed again. "So I destroyed it. The last thing I remember is hearing his voice in my head, saying 'thank you'."

"'Remember your mission'," Cassie murmured, thinking of the voice she'd heard when the golden wave hit her, just before she demorphed.

"'I love you'," Trini whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. "'Goodbye'."

They stood in silence for several minutes, Cassie holding onto Andros protectively while he waited for Trini's judgment, and Trini crying softly.

Eventually it was Trini who broke the quiet again, looking up at Andros with a slight sniffle as she tried to compose herself. "He was your friend?"

Andros nodded, swallowing hard. "If Zordon hadn't contacted me ... " He stopped, closing his eyes. "Without Zordon, I wouldn't be here now."

Neither of them needed to ask what he was implying, and Cassie felt tears prick her eyes at the thought.

Trini reached out, taking both of his hands in hers. Andros looked startled, and it was all Cassie could do to keep from pushing the other girl away. "I'm glad," she said simply, giving his hands a squeeze. "I'm glad that he was there for you."

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly. Tears shone when she opened them again. "I'm not ready to forgive you," she admitted. "I understand, and I know now that it wasn't your fault. This was Zordon's choice. I just - " Her voice caught, and she shook her head. "I don't blame you. And I know that someday I **will** be able to forgive you. I'm just not quite there yet."

There was a long silence.

"I understand," Andros said finally, and Cassie cringed inwardly at the flat, emotionless tone.

Trini gave him a sad smile. "No, you don't." She took another deep breath. "I'll talk to the others," she said finally, turning to include Cassie now. "You're right. Things can't go on like this. We need to start working together again." She swallowed. "For Zordon, if nothing else."

"We'll do what we can," Cassie told her as Andros remained silent. She hesitated. "We're holding a press conference next Wednesday - "

"We'll be there," Trini assured her. She frowned slightly. "I'm not sure who yet, but some of us will be there to help."

"Thank you," Cassie returned, because it needed to be said even if she didn't mean it.

Trini smiled warmly at her before turning to consider Andros again. After a moment, she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "We'll be in touch," she promised, squeezing his hands briefly before releasing him. "Good night."

They stood in silence, watching her walk away. Cassie pressed closer against his shoulder again, and he leaned into her gratefully. "Do you really think she'll talk to them?" she asked finally.

"I don't know," he returned quietly. There was a pause. "Do you think she meant it?"

She didn't pretend to misunderstand. "I don't know." _But she better have_, she finished silently.


	17. Butterfly

**Author's Notes/:** Yes, I know Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation sucked, and the Shell Shocked episode sucked even harder, but I suffer from an inability to **not** try to make sense of things. Which means I can't just ignore that it happened. -Sighs- On which note, the personalities for the Turtles shown (briefly, for the anti-Turtle fans) in this chapter are based more off the movies than the series, because I identify better with those versions. And the Next Mutation turtles were all either drunk, high, or both. You cannot convince me otherwise.

The information about the symbolism behind butterflies and groups of butterflies is true, for anyone who's curious.

Butterfly

The Megaship had its own gossip network. Cassie wasn't entirely sure how it worked, seeing as she didn't recall sharing her conversation with Andros or their meeting with Trini with anyone. Yet it was clear the next morning that everyone knew about it. Just as it was clear that everyone knew not to talk about it.

Instead they made casual conversation over breakfast as they sorted through their morning mail. Cassie sipped at her juice as Carlos and T.J. bickered good-naturedly over Carlos feeding his MiniDragon from his plate as it perched on his shoulder. Zhane was snickering over one of his letters with Ashley, who was trying not to giggle as she lectured him for laughing. Andros went through his own mail with the same solemn air he always did, which made Karone's similar behavior even cuter. The atmosphere wasn't awkward, but it wasn't as relaxed as it should have been, either.

Which made Karone's sudden sharp gasp all the more obvious.

"Karone?" Ashley ventured hesitantly, looking concerned. "What's wrong?"

"It's not another Make a Wish request, is it?" Carlos asked, looking uncomfortable. His dragon made an odd squawking noise as he shifted, settling down again after he offered it a piece of bacon.

Andros frowned. "Karone?"

She bolted from the room, dropped the letter she'd been reading.

"Karone!" he shouted, chasing after her.

Ashley was halfway out the door to follow them when she glanced back. T.J. had risen to his feet, looking worried. Carlos and Zhane exchanged glances.

Cassie picked up the letter off the floor, anxious to know what had upset Karone so badly. Her eyes skimmed over the paper, and she sucked in a breath. "Oh ... Oh, no ... "

_I know this may be an odd request, seeing as we were only acquainted for a day, but we don't have many friends to invite. And, well ... I believe Venus would have wanted you there._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Donatello_

"Cassie?"

She looked up, blinking back tears as the others stared at her. She swallowed, but her voice still came out choked. "Venus didn't survive Astronema's attack."

* * *

They'd known, in the way that it was a distant thought, that there had been other battles besides the one in Angel Grove during Astronema's last attack. The Former Rangers had told them, after all. But it hadn't been something to be concerned about. There was the reconstruction to deal with, and helping Karone to heal, and school, and Carlos' kidnapping, and ...

The distractions were legitimate, but it didn't make her feel any better.

Zack hadn't given them many details about the attack on New York other than the fact that he was there, but there was a report on the Dark - Ranger Base. Cassie shook her head, sighing to herself. Too much information in too short a time, she decided. It was hard to remember what or where anything was anymore.

According to the report, Quantrons had invaded New York in less than an hour, setting up camps just like they had in Angel Grove. Zack had originally fought out in the open, the way they all had, before being forced to withdraw due to exhaustion. At that point, he noticed a group of 'vigilante-style fighters' slowly taking out small groups of Quantrons at a time, moving subtly enough to be nearly unnoticeable at first.

Until they'd liberated one of the larger camps.

It was a little odd to think of the Turtles using subterfuge against Astronema's armies when she remembered the playful and energetic way they'd fought together before, but she supposed they were called the **Ninja** Turtles for a reason.

From what she read, she guessed that Zack hadn't met the Turtles directly. He seemed to admire the 'vigilante's' work, but had been concerned for their safety. Which, seeing as he hadn't known who it was, she reluctantly supposed she could agree with.

But the report didn't bring her any closer to understanding what had happened to Venus. Was it the Quantrons? A monster Zack hadn't come across? An accident maybe? What **happened**?

She huffed in frustration, leaning forward to press her forehead against the console in front of her. Part of her acknowledged dimly that even if she **did** know, it wouldn't change anything. Venus was still gone. But she **had** to know, for Karone's sake if nothing else.

Karone had calmed down in the time since she'd bolted away from breakfast, but 'calmed down' really only meant that she'd stopped crying. Andros had tried to argue that losing Venus hadn't been her fault, that she'd been brainwashed by Dark Spectre, that she hadn't even **been** there. But Karone was inconsolable. The last Cassie had seen her, she'd been wandering the Dark F - **Ranger Base**, with a blank look on her face. They'd all been taking turns checking up on her, but she seemed to want to be left alone.

_Would it be rude to just ask them?_ she wondered briefly before changing her mind. She was frustrated; not insensitive.

At last she got up with a sigh. Maybe a change of scenery would help. She'd stop by to check on Karone, and then head back to the Megaship for a snack.

She found Karone in her old bedroom, which wasn't much of a surprise. She was sitting at the vanity, chin resting on folded arms as she contemplated a glass jar in front of her. She didn't look up when Cassie cleared her throat awkwardly, lingering in the doorway. "Karone?" she asked hesitantly.

"Did you know that in some cultures, butterflies are considered a symbol of the soul?" Karone asked softly, still staring at the jar.

Cassie swallowed, taking a step closer. She was surprised to see there was actually something **in** the jar, but it was too small to be sure what it was. "No, I didn't," she admitted, feeling a little embarrassed. She'd always liked butterflies, but she hadn't thought about any symbolism behind them.

Karone nodded absently. "Although swarms of butterflies are considered a bad omen. Which is kind of sad, because they're very pretty when you see them all together."

She wasn't sure what to say to that, but Karone was finally talking, and she didn't want her to stop. "It sounds like they would be," she said eventually.

Karone turned abruptly, looking up at her solemnly. "Will you take this with you to the funeral?" she asked, picking up the jar and offering it to her. "I wanted to set it free for her, but ... " She stopped, closing her eyes. "I don't think they'd want me there," she finished quietly.

She wanted to protest, to tell her that of **course** they did, that they'd understand, but the words stuck in her throat. She swallowed hard, stepping forward and leaning down to kiss Karone's cheek as she accepted the jar. "I will," she promised.

Karone nodded in thanks.

There was a butterfly in the jar, she realized as she walked away. It was a beautiful shade of turquoise, the same color as Venus had worn. She wondered where Karone had found it.

* * *

"Thank you for coming," Donatello told her solemnly. It was a startling change from the goofy, fun-loving Dontallo she'd met eleven months ago, and she didn't like it.

"We wouldn't have been anywhere else," she told him honestly. Hugging a turtle was awkward, but judging by the way he leaned into her, he'd needed it.

The funeral was surprisingly beautiful, simple as it had been. She wasn't quite sure how the turtles had known about this farmland area, let alone that there even **was** farmland near New York, but it had the space and privacy they'd needed. The funeral pyre had surprised her, but after thinking about it a little - namely because she didn't want to ask - she supposed it was safer to burn Venus' body. There had been music, a simple piano instrumental that Michaelangelo said she'd liked.

Cassie honestly hadn't known Venus that well, but she imagined she would have enjoyed the thought and effort the others had put into it. From what they'd said, they hadn't known her for very long either, but she had still managed to make an impact on their lives.

Michaelangelo had cried throughout the entire ceremony, leaning heavily on Donatello as the other did his best to comfort him without breaking down himself. Raphael was silent and stiff, stepping forward to help light the pyre only when prodded. As it was, he looked like he wanted to get away as soon as possible. Leonardo had gone even colder, staring straight ahead with a blank expression on his face. He only spoke once, when he'd thanked them formally for coming.

It was odd. When they'd met the Ninja Turtles, they'd all been goofy and strange and full of laughter. Venus had struck her as the only mature one in the group. But now ...

Meeting Splinter was an ... interesting experience. In any other circumstance she might have been grossed out - she'd never liked rats; too many bad experiences when she was little - but Splinter was obviously grieving as well. He thanked them politely for coming and carried on general conversation when it was clear the boys couldn't, but his eyes were pained.

For some reason, it made her wish her dad was there.

"Do you need anything?" Ashley asked softly as Cassie finally stepped away from Donatello. "Is there anything we can do?"

Raphael went to say something, but fell silent with a wince when Donatello stepped on his foot. "Thank you," Donatello replied, "But we'll manage."

"Keep in touch?" Michaelangelo asked hopefully, sniffling slightly.

T.J. gave him a warm smile. "Now that we can most **definitely** do."

"Thank you again, Astro Rangers," Splinter told them, bowing.

Andros returned the gesture. "We all lost something to Dark Spectre," he said softly. "But it's times like these that remind us who our true friends are."

"I don't care about Dark Spectre," Leonardo spoke up suddenly, his voice hoarse. "But I want Astronema's head on a plate."

"Leonardo!" Splinter said sharply, but he didn't apologize.

The sudden silence was deafening.

"We should go," T.J. said at last, swallowing awkwardly.

"Yes," Splinter agreed with another bow. "Forgive us for keeping you."

Even so, the last thing Cassie saw before the world dissolved into sparkling pink was the cold, angry look on Leonardo's face.


	18. Sock

**Author's Notes/:** This chapter comes with its own icon! pics. livejournal. com/tsukino_akume/pic/000ryr8p

For BlackCrimsonLight, for being *infinitely* helpful with questions being asked. Love to Challon86 for additional assistance and holding my hand throughout writing this chapter.

Sock

She did not want to be here.

The room N.A.S.A.D.A. had provided for them wasn't large, but just big enough for fifty chairs, set in five rows with a center isle in between. A table had been set up at the front for the six of them, covered with a long white table cloth and complete with a microphone and accompanying water bottle across from each chair. They even had name cards. Color-coded name cards, with her first and last name, and the words 'Pink Ranger' just below.

~_"It's just for an hour," Zhane assured them. "We cut questions after an hour, and leave. We'll teleport out if we have to."_

_"Why just an hour?" Ashley asked, frowning._

_Zhane shuddered. "Because otherwise we'll be there all day."_~

_Just an hour_, she reminded herself, trying not to think about Adam as Green Zeo lurking in the corner behind her. Yellow Zeo was on the other side of the room, standing just behind Ashley. The Blue Turbo Ranger stood directly between them, just behind T.J. and Andros at the center of the table. Pink and Blue Zeo were guarding the two smaller doors on each side of the room. Jason and Zack made impressive guards in Red and Black on either side of the main door, looking imposing enough that everyone seemed to be behaving.

Justin **should** have been in school, seeing as it was Wednesday. He'd shown up at literally the last minute, already morphed, and quietly asked Green Zeo were he should stand. There had been a moment where she thought Adam would protest him being there, but he'd muttered something else, and the Green Ranger deflated with an irritated sigh before directing him behind the table. Now he was standing at parade rest, lurking behind them all like a protective shadow.

Aisha hadn't been able to make it, they'd been told. She had a test today that she couldn't get out of, but she wished them good luck. Cassie didn't know if she believed it.

Trini was on the Dark - _Ranger Base_, and she silently cursed at the fact that she **still** couldn't remember to call it that yet. She was using the comm system to coordinate everyone, keeping in touch with all the Rangers posing as security. Karone was with her, whether to help or because Andros wanted to make sure she wouldn't sneak down to join them, she wasn't sure.

No one had mentioned why Kimberly and Tommy weren't there, and no one asked.

Zhane nudged her foot gently under the table, staring straight ahead with a strangely serious expression that didn't fit him. She kicked him back lightly, trying not to smile. He was wearing his 'Intergalactic Hero' shirt under his uniform jacket, despite the fact that only 'rgala Hero' could be seen. She still hadn't figured out if it was because he felt like being obnoxious, or if it was his way of thanking the person who'd sent it.

" - other Rangers are **not** available for questioning," she heard T.J. say as she forced herself to pay attention. "We appreciate your cooperation. Now, we'll start taking questions."

Hands shot up into the air en mass, waving frantically. A group of kids in school came to mind, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the image. This was so **not** the time.

"Where did you get your powers?"

"The Astro Morphers were created on the planet Eltar and given to its colony planet, KO-35," T.J. explained. "The previous Kerova Rangers passed them down to our Red Ranger, who later gave them to Carlos, Ashley, Cassie, and myself on the recommendation of the Turbo Rangers."

Which wasn't **strictly** true, but they'd all decided it was easier than trying to explain the Power transfer without giving away any of the former Turbo Rangers' identities.

"Who are the Turbo Rangers?" another reporter pressed, looking eager as his eyes lingered over the Blue Turbo Ranger behind them. "How do you know them?"

T.J. frowned at him. "The decision to reveal our identities was something the six of us agreed to out of respect and appreciation to the citizens of Angel Grove who tried to protect us. That's not a decision the former Rangers of Earth were a part of. We're complying with their wish to keep their identities private."

"Why? Do they have something to hide?"

She heard Adam shift behind her, and figured he was fighting the urge to say something. She could picture the scowl on his face.

"I think we've all seen an example that not everyone be can trusted to know who the Power Rangers are," T.J. returned calmly. "Next question, please."

Zhane had taught him well, she admitted to herself. He looked like a natural at this. Which, considering how badly they'd all been panicking this morning, was pretty impressive.

"Have the previous Ranger Teams for Earth always been teenagers?"

T.J. blinked at the man who'd asked, clearly startled. "Excuse me?"

"Have Earth's Power Rangers always been teenagers," the man repeated. "I mean, don't you think you're a little young to be superheroes?"

Several people laughed quietly, but it was hard to say if it was at him or the question.

Cassie opened her mouth to object, trying not to flinch when Zhane stomped on her foot. She swallowed what she'd been about to say, kicking him sharply in retaliation. Down the line, she thought she heard Carlos make a pained grunt of his own.

Zhane placed a hand beside T.J.'s and leaned forward, regarding the man calmly. "Power Rangers throughout the universe come in all ages, from preteens to adults. Teenagers are generally considered to be the best age for what we do, because we have the energy, time, and physical ability to handle what it takes to be a Ranger. And age has nothing to do with experience. Saying we're 'too young' for what we do is like saying we didn't do a good enough job protecting Earth." His eyes narrowed, as if daring the man to actually say it. "As far as tradition goes, there's nothing wrong with how old we are."

The man sat down again, frowning, and Cassie resisted the urge to make a rude gesture at him.

A man seated next to one of the cameras lining the side of the room stood up, clearing his throat and straightening his tie. "My question is for Ranger Carlos. How do you feel about the claims that your recent kidnapping left you mentally unstable. Is there any truth to these accusations?"

For a moment she thought Carlos was going to yell, but he stopped, taking a slow breath, and she silently thanked Zhane again for all the coaching he'd given them. "I find those accusations offensive and honestly, rude," he said at last, staring at the man. She could tell he was still irritated, but at least he didn't look it. "No, it's not true. I was released with a clean bill of health."

Also not necessarily true, but no one was going to admit that he was having weekly sessions with a Ranger therapist over the comm.

"Where are the other Rangers?" another report asked. She had her suspicions he'd come with the man who'd already tried to ask who the Turbo Rangers were, seeing as they were sitting next to each other. "Do they disapprove of you holding this conference?"

"The decision to hold this conference was ours," T.J. informed him, looking annoyed now. "But the former Rangers have given their support and their approval by volunteering to help with security. The other Rangers were unable to make it today. They have lives of their own to worry about. Next question."

"Why have there been so many different Power Ranger teams seen on Earth in the last five years?" someone in the back called.

"Earth has been attacked by multiple villains in those five years. Each team was chosen specifically to fight that villain," he answered. "New topic, please."

She was mildly impressed. If she hadn't known otherwise, she probably would have believed him.

"Is it true that the Pink and Silver Rangers are a couple?" a woman asked, looking hopeful.

She tensed, fighting the urge to snap, and felt Zhane nudge her ankle again, gently this time. She was tempted to tell him that playing footsie under the table where no one could see probably wasn't helping their image.

"No, it's not," T.J. answered for her, shaking his head. "They're just good friends. Next, please."

"What happened to the ship that was seen landing in Angel Grove?"

"The Dark Fortress was surrendered to our forces on Earth. It's currently being used as a base of operations by the former Rangers to coordinate efforts to rebuild the damage done in the attack."

Cassie took a sip of her water, fighting a smirk and trying not to look at him. That answer **had** to have come from Andros. It was way too wordy for T.J.

"Yes, in the corner."

"Why did you become a Ranger?"

She blinked, glancing down the line at the others. Ashley looked just as startled by the question as she was. Carlos seemed uncomfortable, while Andros and T.J. remained expressionless. Zhane just looked amused, but that wasn't new for Zhane.

"I guess I've always dreamed of being a hero," T.J. confessed, looking faintly sheepish. "When the opportunity was offered, I took it."

There was a pause.

"I wanted to help people," Ashley spoke up, shrugging slightly. She looked embarrassed, too.

"Someone was asking me to save the world," Carlos said, shaking his head with an amused smile. "**Me**. What was I gonna say? No?"

There was a rumble of appreciative laughter.

Cassie hesitated, finally leaning forward into her own mike to be heard. "I guess ..." She glanced down at it, feeling kind of embarrassed herself. **This** was why she didn't want to answer any questions. "I accepted my morpher so I could become someone my family could be proud of."

"Zhane wouldn't allow me to say no."

She blinked, turning to shoot an incredulous look at Andros. He looked perfectly serious, despite the fact that the audience was laughing again.

Zhane grinned beside her, nodding. "It's true. I wouldn't," he agreed. The grin faded, and he shrugged, looking solemn. "As for me, I was raised by the Kerova Rangers. I could never imagine not following in my family's footsteps."

"What do you plan to do with your lives now that the world knows who you are?" someone called.

They exchanged looks again. "I guess we've all been so busy worrying about organizing the clean up and the aftermath of Dark Spectre's attack, there hasn't been a chance to think about it," T.J. admitted with a shug. "For me ... I really don't know. The last - year of our lives have been dedicated to being Rangers," he added, and she noticed the way he caught himself from saying before admitting they'd really been Rangers for almost a year and a half. He shrugged again. "Honestly? I'll probably finish high school and see from there."

She nodded her agreement along with Carlos and Ashley, even as part of her though of her family. She hadn't forgotten her promise to her mom to go home once things had settled.

"Maybe college," Ashley offered. "It's really hard to say right now. I think more than anything, we're all just trying to catch our breath from all the fighting."

A man she thought looked slightly familiar raised his hand. Maybe he was from a local station? "Where was the Silver Ranger before he showed up on Earth, and why wasn't he always with the team?"

T.J. looked at Zhane, who stiffened. She barely managed to stop herself from squeezing his shoulder, nudging his foot gently instead. Down the line she could see Ashley biting her lip, while Andros looked like he wanted to dodge the question entirely.

Zhane took a deep breath and leaned forward. "I was in a coma," he said at last. There were several startled expressions, and she hooked her ankle around his since she couldn't hold his hand. "When KO-35 was attacked, I almost lost my life. I'm here today thanks to a cryogenic stasis tube, and the fact that my best friend wouldn't give up on me." He glanced over at Andros, leaving no question of who he was talking about. "As for why I haven't always been seen with the rest of the team, well. Earth wasn't the only planet that's been under attack. We've been doing what we can to divide our forces." He shrugged a shoulder. "Sometimes that's not enough."

There was an awkward silence.

T.J. cleared his throat, nodding to someone in the front row. "Yes?"

The woman stood up, her eyes immediately zeroing in on Andros. "How do the Red Ranger and Astronema know each other?"

Andros paused, and for a moment she was afraid he wouldn't answer. "I fought against Astronema for two years after KO-35 fell to Dark Spectre, the leader of the United Alliance of Evil. Astronema was one of his servants until she defected to the side of light. As punishment, Dark Specter kidnapped and brainwashed her to force her to serve him again."

He was playing up the fact that Karone hadn't **wanted** to be evil, Cassie noticed, eyeing the crowd again. She wondered if Karone would appreciate the gesture, or just kick his butt when they went back to the Megaship. She was leaning toward butt-kicking, but Karone was nothing if not unpredictable.

T.J. pointed to another person as Andros fell silent. "Yes, you in the back."

"What happened to her?" the man asked, frowning. "The video footage of her being carried out of the ship - "

"She was purified," T.J. interrupted. "By the Golden Wave. She's no longer evil. Next question."

"What **was** the Golden Wave?"

He paused, and for a moment she wondered if he was going to defer to someone else to explain. When he spoke, his voice was soft enough that the shuffling noises people had been making fell silent to hear him better. "There's a great sage known through the universe. He spent thousands of years fighting against the forces of evil, even after he was trapped in an interdimensional energy tube. He imprisoned the sorceress Rita Repulsa. He mentored dozens of Ranger teams. He was the one to chose the five Rangers who first appeared on Earth in 1993, and all of the Rangers following until our team was chosen."

He paused to take a drink, clearing his throat again. The room remained deathly silent. "Dark Spectre had him captive on the Dark Fortress, the ship that attacked Angel Grove, and was draining his energy. The forces of evil had teamed up against our allies in space. They were winning.

So this man made the ultimate sacrifice. He chose to have his energy tube, the one thing that was keeping him alive, shattered. The golden wave you saw was his life force, the purest force of good in our universe. It stopped Dark Spectre's minions in their tracks, purifed anyone who'd regretted what they'd done under his unfluence."

It was a blatant lie; they still didn't know why Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, Divatox, and Karone had been saved. But everyone was too caught up in T.J.'s story to care.

"He saved us all," he continued, looking solemn. "We owe him our lives. We owe him our homes. Without him, none of us would be here today."

Silence.

She reached for her water, taking another drink as she wondered what the former Rangers thought of that. No one on her team hated Zordon; if anything, they regretted that they hadn't been able to save him. But the Formers had all been too busy being angry at them for not caring enough that he was dead to listen.

"How do you know they were purified?" someone spoke up.

T.J. blinked, leaning forward with a frown. "Excuse me?"

"How do you know those villains are good now?" the man persisted. "What proof do you have?"

Carlos moved to stand, glaring. "How dare - "

He stopped as Ashley caught his arm, dragging him back into his seat and leaning forward to speak in his place. "We know that they're good, because a villain wouldn't regret what they'd done in the past," she informed everyone, looking directly at the man who'd asked. "A villain wouldn't cry over someone who didn't survive the attack on Earth. A villain wouldn't care. They wouldn't be fighting to make up for what they've done. They woudn't be our friends."

She stopped, closing her eyes for a moment as she seemed to reign herself in. "I can't speak for Rita, Zedd, or Divatox," she admitted. "They didn't stay on Earth. All I know is what we've been told about what they're doing from other Ranger teams who are looking out for them. But as for Astronema, I can personally guarantee that she **is** a good person. She made mistakes because of something that wasn't her fault, and no one," She stopped, voice cracking, shaking her head as Carlos squeezed her hand supportively. "**No one**," she repeated firmly, "Regrets what's happened more than she does. The attack on Earth was **not** her fault."

"Then who's fault was it?" someone asked. Cassie was too busy looking at Ashley to notice who'd said it; Ash still looked like she was trying not to cry.

"Dark Spectre," Andros spoke up, startling them all. There was a dark look on his face as he glared at the table. "Dark Spectre is the one who caused all of this."

"Who is Dark Spectre?" another person pressed.

T.J. cleared his throat, and Andros started slightly. Cassie had a feeling she wasn't the only one who kept getting kicked under the table. "Dark Spectre was the leader of the force known as the Alliance of Evil," T.J. answered. "He was destroyed by one of his own minions in the final battle."

He glanced at the clock on the wall briefly before offering a smile. "We're almost out of time today, but we can squeeze in a couple more questions," he offered.

_Finally_, she groaned silently. Zhane nudged her foot again, and she kicked him back lightly. They were both going to be limping tomorrow at this rate.

"Yes, you."

"How do you feel about being responsible for so many deaths when you use your giant robots?"

The room went still.

" ... Excuse me?" T.J. asked slowly.

The man in the front row stood up, staring at them all with an expression that bordered on a glare. "It's a well-known fact that every time those giant robots appear, you cause thousands of dollars in damage to the city of Angel Grove. And yet, because you're the 'Power Rangers', you're not liable for it. What do you have to say to the people who have lost their jobs or their homes due to your fighting?"

Cassie gaped at him. She felt Zhane reach out to grip her shoulder, holding her in place.

"The first rule of being a Power Ranger is to never escalate a battle," T.J. said at last, and by the sound of his voice he was struggling to stay calm. "We have **never** attacked first. We only defend the city to the best of our ability. Unfortunately, we can't always control where the battle is, or where someone falls. We regret that we can't do anything more, but our priority is to defend Earth. We can't stop the battles from happening at all."

The man folded his arms. "So what you're saying is that it's too bad, but you won't do anything to help."

"That is **not** what I'm saying," T.J. snapped. He stopped, taking a breath. "I'm saying that we don't control where the battles take place. We're still in high school, and none of us have any way to help pay for what damage is done in an attack. We can't help with the clean up, so we do the best we can to make sure the battles don't get any worse."

"How do you know you're even helping?" the man persisted. "You've already admitted you're harboring Astronema, who is a **known** criminal. What authority do you have to do these things? Who made you above the law?"

"How dare you?" Cassie shouted, surging to her feet. She felt Zhane struggling to pull her back down and jerked her arm free, glaring furiously at the man across from her. "Astronema is as much of a victim as anyone, if not **more**! And we've never claimed to be above the law! What right do you have to accuse us, when **we're** the ones putting our lives on the line for you!"

She took a deep breath, struggling to get herself back under control. She swore at herself silently. What was **wrong** with her lately? She hadn't lost her temper this badly in **years**.

"And **this** would be why kids shouldn't be superheroes," the man sighed with annoyance.

She didn't really remember the conscious decision to move forward. She thought there had been someone's hand on her arm at some point, maybe even someone else trying to grab her shoulders, but she threw them both off, vaulting over the table. "You - you **jerk**!" she snarled at the reporter, drawing back her fist.

Bone gave way beneath her hand, someone's arms closed around her, dragging her away, and the sparkling pink lights of teleportation filled her vision, leaving the room behind.


	19. Forget Yesterday

**Author's Notes/:** This chapter could totally have gone in a different direction besides snuggling. I give free reign to anyone who would like to write an AU of it where it did, provided they give me the appropriate credit.

For me, because I wanted snuggles, and anyone else who wanted them too. Love to Starlit Purple for beta.

* * *

There was something to be said for darkness. It was quiet, for one. Warmer than most people would have expected. Peaceful, really.

But most importantly, the darkness was quiet. As in alone. As in the rest of the world didn't exist as long as she was here. Just the thought of leaving made staying right where she was sound even more appealing.

Hiding under the blankets in her bedroom might not have been the most mature thing she could be doing at the moment, but at least it was comfortable.

She was pretty sure D.E.C.A. had tried to get her up more than once, but the heavy comforter she'd brought up from her apartment shortly after moving onto the Megaship was excellent at muffling sound. She had nowhere to be today now that they'd dropped out of school, anyway. Nothing short of her communicator going off was going to get her out of bed, and even that was questionable.

She heard a sound that ***might*** have been her door opening, but she wasn't sure until she felt the bed shift as someone sat beside her. They were silent for a few minutes, apparently waiting for her to acknowledge them. " ... Cassie?" Karone ventured finally.

"Yeah?"

There was a pause. "Are you all right?"

She considered. "Well, I just caused what Zhane called a Public Relations Blitz, and I still haven't figured out where he learned that word, so ... no. I'm not."

More silence.

"He uses the comm system to watch Earth television programming whenever Andros is busy," Karone offered. "He said something about a card that lets him borrow books, too."

" ... A library card?"

"I think so."

Zhane had a library card. He wasn't even a citizen of Earth, and yet he had found a way to borrow their books. Somehow she wasn't surprised.

"Thank you."

The words were abrupt enough that she shifted slightly to peer out from under the comforter with one eye. "For what?" she asked warily.

Karone looked solemn, and the expression was so much like Andros Cassie found herself thinking of how he'd thanked her the exact same way more than a week ago. "For standing up for me, at the press conference," she explained. "When you said I was more of a victim than anyone."

Cassie blinked slowly. "I didn't think you'd like being called that," she admitted.

"I don't," Karone returned simply. "But I appreciate what you meant when you said it."

The corner of Cassie's mouth twitched, and she slipped a hand out from under the covers to squeeze Karone's. There was another pause, just long enough for Cassie to wonder if that had been more than Karone was comfortable with, before the other girl squeezed back.

Her door slid open again. There was just enough time for her to register a flash of yellow with the eye still peering out above the covers, before something flopped on the bed and crawled over her. Cassie grunted in surprise as she was nearly kicked in the stomach. Ashley manuvered her way between Cassie and the wall, then grabbed a corner of the blankets and crawled underneath them. Cassie shivered at the intruding cold body before moving closer and wrapping an arm around her. Years of experience had taught her that the fastest way to be warm again was to warm the intruder up first.

She blinked in the darkness under the blankets at Ashley, who stared back at her. "Hi," Ashley whispered.

"Hi," she whispered back.

"You're warm."

She made a face. "You're not."

Ashley frowned, peering at the sliver of light coming in from a fold in the comforter. "Karone? Why are you out there? Why aren't you under here with us?"

Cassie could almost ***hear*** Karone blinking at them. "I didn't know I was invited," she said at last.

Cassie sighed, reaching for her through the fold again. Their fingers clasped, and she tugged gently. "Come on. It's warmer under here. Or it will be once Ash stops being cold."

There was a brief flash of light that made her flinch, just enough to catch Karone's vaguely amused expression, before the blanket fell over the three of them. They huddled close together, and she tried not to shiver as two cold bodies pressed against her sides.

"Ooh, you are warm," Karone murmured, snuggling closer against her arm.

_Not anymore_, she thought ruefully, but she couldn't really complain. It was hard to be mad about sharing blankets with two of your best friends. And they'd warm up eventually.

She probably should have been more surprised when the door slid open again. "Should I come back some other time?" she heard Carlos ask finally, sounding amused.

"No, you should get under here with us!" Ashley called.

Cassie shook her head, trying not to smile as she buried her face against her pillow again. "The bed's only so big, Ash. Carlos is gonna take up a lot of room."

"Excuse me?" he demanded, and she eeped as cold air hit her feet. "I can fit under here better than you can!"

"It's my bed!"

"Didn't you learn about sharing in kindergarten?"

She shot a glare down towards the new lump at end of the bed, where she was guessing he was. "Didn't you learn about respecting other people's property?" she countered, trying to kick him.

"Settle down, children," Ashley mocked, and Cassie poked her in the stomach. "Hey!"

"Serves you right," she teased.

"Serves ***me*** right? You're the ones arguing!"

"And Cassie's the one who ***kicked*** me," Carlos groused, somehow managing to fling himself over their legs to pin them all down down at once.

"Carlos!"

"Let go!"

"It's self-preservation," he insisted.

"I haven't done anything to you," Karone protested.

"Doesn't mean you ***won't***," Carlos informed her. "It's every man for himself under here."

"It's a bed, not a warzone," Cassie huffed.

"Says you."

"Hey, if we're having slumber parties in Cassie's bed, why wasn't I invited?" Zhane demanded loudly, cutting into their conversation.

Cassie started to reply, only to yelp in protest as a flood of light hit her eyes.

"Huh." She could just make out Zhane studying them when she squinted. "Well, this could be a problem," he remarked.

"Zhane, get in here or put the blanket back down," she complained, burying her head under her pillow.

"If you insist," he returned cheerfully, flinging himself onto the bed.

More than one person cried out in pain.

"You could ask us to make room first," Carlos snapped at him, rolling off Cassie's feet. There was a small thump, followed by an "Ow!"

"You okay, Carlos?" Ashley asked, sounding concerned.

The only answer was a few choice words in Spanish.

"Carlos?" she persisted.

" ... Fine," they heard him mutter, sounding pained. "I'm fine."

"He rolled into the bedframe," Zhane added helpfully, arranging his legs under Cassie and Ashley's feet. He didn't seem to care when Cassie settled hers on his knees, bending his torso around to hug Karone's legs while he placed his chin against her thigh.

Cassie squinted down at him. "How can that possibly be comfortable?"

"Snuggling is ***always*** comfortable," he informed her.

"Doesn't look like it," Carlos remarked.

"Karone is ***very*** comfortable," Zhane promised, grinning when Karone glared at him. For a moment it looked like she was going to hit him, but she finally sighed and ignored him, resting her head against Cassie's shoulder instead.

" ... I'm not entirely sure if I wanna ask," T.J said from the doorway. He sounded vaguely amused.

"I know I don't," Andros muttered beside him. There was a pause, and Cassie was positive at least one of them was rolling their eyes at all of them, before Andros sighed. "Guys, we have a - "

"No we don't," she interrupted.

Another pause. " ... We don't?"

"Nope. Because there are no problems as long as I don't get out of bed. And I'm not getting out of bed," she said firmly.

"I like this plan," Zhane commented, reaching out to pat her leg.

Ashley put an arm around her in a semi-hug, squeezing gently. "Seconded."

"Unanimous," Carlos declared. "Zhane, move your elbow."

" ... Do I get vote?" Karone questioned. Cassie glanced at her worriedly, wishing Zhane wasn't between her and Carlos so she could kick him again for upsetting Karone, but the other girl looked faintly amused.

"Of course you do," Zhane replied. "But we knew you were going to vote to stay in the world of no problems anyway, so Carlos voted for you."

Karone giggled softly, surprising them all. "Thank you, Carlos. Your services will be rewarded," she called.

There was a pause. "Why do I get the feeling something bad just happened?" Carlos asked warily.

"Because it's Karone," Zhane answered him immediately. "She took over the universe, you know. You should respect that."

"I already respect it," he returned dryly. "That's why I'm worried."

"Don't worry. I always reward my loyal servants," Karone promised. Cassie grinned at the playful smirk on her face. Karone glanced over at her, winking, and she pressed a fist against her mouth to keep from laughing aloud.

Andros sighed again. "Guys ... "

"No problems in Cassie's bed," Ashley called. "Only snuggling."

She could ***hear*** Zhane grinning. "And - ow! Carlos!" he complained, sounding wounded.

"Everyone knows what you were gonna say," Carlos informed him. "And you didn't need to say it."

"So what happens if we get in the bed, too?" T.J. asked, sounding like he was trying not to laugh.

Cassie didn't even have to consider that. "All problems go away as soon as you're under the blankets," she insisted. "This is a problem-free zone."

Silence.

"Move over," Andros said abruptly, and she felt the blanket lifting near Karone.

Cassie's eyes widened, and she choked on another laugh. She'd expected T.J. to be the first to crawl with them. Not Andros.

Then she paused, frowning. If Andros didn't want to think about problems, something was definitely wrong.

Karone sat up carefully, leaving just enough room for someone to sit on the outside corner where her head had been. She patted the bed in invitation, and Cassie saw her offer her brother a shy smile. Andros smiled back, sitting down and folding his legs to sit cross-legged. Karone immediately laid back down, resting her head in his lap. She took a moment to settle herself comfortably, while Andros looked down at her with a soft expression.

"So where am I supposed to sit?" T.J. asked finally, sighing.

Ashley sat up, moving the blankets down so Cassie could keep them over her head. "You can sit with me," she offered cheerfully. "That way you won't get caught between Cassie, Zhane, and Carlos kicking each other."

T.J. chuckled, and she heard him move closer. "Sounds like a plan," he agreed.

It took several minutes for them all to resettle, Ashley moving to fit her head in T.J.'s lap as he sat leaning back against the wall. Andros had started playing with Karone's hair at some point, running his fingers through it carefully while she watched the rest of them. Zhane and Carlos were still bickering, but the pushing and kicking had stopped.

Cassie laid there, listening, and enjoyed the feeling of her friends around her. The feeling of love and acceptance. Of finally ***belonging*** somewhere. She was home. Maybe she'd never expected for home to be curled up in bed on a spaceship surrounded by two jocks, a cheerleader, two aliens, and the former Princess of Evil, but it was. This was her family, as much as the Reynolds and Chris and Kelly had ever been. Dysfunctional and strange at first look maybe, but family all the same.

She'd do anything to keep this feeling, this place. _Anything_.

Which was why she finally sighed, lifting her face from her pillow to look at Andros. "How bad is it, and how soon do we have to deal with it?"

He blinked at her for a moment, then frowned slightly. "It's ... " He glanced over at T.J.

"Is it about what I did?" she pushed, wincing slightly.

"Don't apologize," Carlos snapped, surprising her. "That guy was a jerk."

"Carlos ... " Ashley scolded.

"I would have punched him if Cassie hadn't gotten there first," he muttered unapologetically.

"It wasn't the most diplomatic way to handle the situation," Andros allowed.

"It was a train wreck," Zhane interupted, but he sounded amused. "And Cassie's on the list."

"How do you know what a train wreck is?" T.J. demanded suspiciously, at the same time as Ashley asked "What list?"

"The list of people not allowed to talk to reporters," he answered, clearly ignoring T.J. "So far that's Andros and Cassie." He paused. "And maybe Carlos."

"I haven't done anything," Carlos protested, sounding offended.

"Not for lack of intent," Zhane shot back, and Carlos muttered something no one could hear.

Cassie was torn between smiling and trying to hide under her pillow again. The need to bury her face finally won out. " ... Aren't you guys mad?" she asked eventually, frowning as her voice came out sounding smaller than she'd meant to.

There was a pause.

"About what?" Andros asked at last. She couldn't see him, but she could imagine the confused frown on his face.

She swallowed hard. "I screwed up. I ruined the press conference," she reminded them, still not lifting her head.

"You didn't ruin anything," Ashley protested, squirming out of T.J.'s lap to hug her again.

"You were standing up for me," Karone reminded her softly, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

Carlos made a noise of agreement, and the blanket lifted slightly as he sat up enough to look at her over Zhane. "I was gonna punch the jerk if you didn't," he pointed out.

"I would have too," Andros admitted reluctantly. She peeked out from her pillow just in time to catch Karone smiling up at him, and Andros' soft, sheepish smile back.

"No one's mad, Cass," T.J. promised, reaching over to touch her shoulder. "Yeah, it wasn't the best idea, and I can't say it went over well, but. Well."

"It's too late now?" she offered wryly, turning a little more to get a better look at Andros. Was he braiding Karone's hair?

"Actually, it was probably a good idea," Zhane said abruptly.

She glanced down at him, raising her eyebrows. "How do you figure?"

"For one, we can put a positive spin on it to show that we're perfectly capable of controlling our strength." He looked back at her, and she was surprised to see that he was serious. "You could have shattered his face, and all you did was give him a bloody nose."

"I didn't want to hurt him," she protested, because yeah, he was a jerk, but she wasn't ***that*** cruel.

"I know," he agreed. "Which is why it was a good thing. Yeah, you hit him, but he insulted us. You just proved that we're not what he thinks we are, and that we ***will*** stand up for ourselves. We've also established that we're not going to accept any insults against Karone."

"There was a probably a better way of doing it, but you're right," T.J. agreed reluctantly. He squeezed her shoulder again. "Either way, it's over and done with. We've got other things to deal with now."

There was a long silence.

"Like what?" Ashley asked warily.

No one answered her, and Cassie finally lifted her head again to see T.J. and Andros looking at each other.

"Someone issued a warrant for Astronema's arrest," T.J. said finally. "They want to put her on trial."


	20. Evil

**Author's Notes/:** Personal disclaimer: Cassie's comment against domestic violence support groups is not intended as a slight toward anyone or what these groups do. I have the greatest respect for the people who organize these groups, and those who have the courage to attend them. The reasons behind her feelings may or may not be touched upon later; it depends on how the story goes.

I am totally bullshitting my way through the legalese here, and I am not ashamed to admit it. I've done lots of research for this chapter, but I am not a lawyer or associated with anyone who has legal knowledge. If anyone happens to come across something I've used that is absolutely not true, feel free to let me know (although in that case I would appreciate an alternative suggestion, if possible).

Love to Starlit Purple for beta!

* * *

"So, here's a stupid question we should probably already know the answer to," Carlos spoke up, frowning at the fork in his hand. He paused, waiting for everyone to look over at him. "***Can*** Earth issue a warrant for Astronema's arrest? I mean, doesn't she have to be a citizen first?" He frowned suddenly. "Wait ... ***was*** this from Earth?"

There was an awkward pause.

"In the interest of being respectful of your planet because you're my teammate and I love you," Zhane said at last, "I'll give you the short answer. No, they can't. And yes, it was."

Cassie glanced at Zhane, both amused and worried for Karone. "Do we know ***who*** it was? I mean, what was their reasoning behind - "

"It's under the city of Angel Grove, which means it was either the chief of police or the mayor," T.J. answered, frowning. "Probably mayor. They're citing Aggravated Assault, Bribery, Vandalism, Homocide and Attempted Homocide, and Trespassing. And if they ever find out Andros and Karone are related, they can add Domestic Violence."

"***Trespassing***?" Ashley repeated, looking incredulous.

"She's not a citizen of Angel Grove," he explained.

"Again, not even a citizen of ***Earth***." Carlos pointed out.

T.J. shrugged, looking sympathetic. "Hey, I didn't say it made sense. By that rule, Andros and Zhane are technically trespassing, too."

Carlos snorted. "Good luck with that charge. 'The Power Rangers are trespassing. Sorry, but they can't help save your planet because they don't live here.'"

Zhane snickered. Karone smiled faintly, reaching across the table they'd squeezed themselves around for the salt.

"Domestic Violence?" Andros spoke up, looking confused.

Ashley winced. "It means attacking a family member. Which is illegal."

"There's support groups for that," Zhane offered, smirking. He ducked when Andros glared and swung at him.

"How do you ***know*** these things?" Carlos demanded. "Where are you getting your information?"

"Yeah, and they all suck," Cassie muttered without thinking.

There was an awkward pause, and she glanced up, mentally cringing as she realized what she'd just said. "Domestic Violence support groups," she clarified reluctantly. "They suck. It wasn't me," she added, because everyone was staring at her in growing horror and she knew they'd never let it go. "It was someone I knew."

After a moment T.J. cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention again. "Anyway, from what we know, Angel Grove cannot arrest Astonema. They don't have the authority, and she has has no connections to Earth to even be tried under Earth law, let alone American. The ***problem***," he stressed as everyone started to relax. "Is that first of all, just because Earth can't prosecute her doesn't mean anyone else can't. And second, if we don't show some sort of legal responsibility about all this, there might be actions taken against ***us***. And four of us are still liable under the laws of the United States."

Ashley sighed, leaning forward to rest her chin in her hands. "We need a lawyer."

"Tell me about it," T.J. murmured, rubbing his temples with a sigh of his own. "I've been researching criminal procedures and the Geneva Conventions all morning."

Karone shifted in her seat, frowning. "Maybe it would be best if - "

"Don't finish that sentence," Zhane warned, looking up from his breakfast to glare at her.

She glared back at him. "It would be easier for all of you if I just - "

"No," Ashley interrupted firmly as Zhane's expression darkened and Andros looked at his sister in alarm. "We're not sacrificing anyone. Turning yourself in when they don't even have the right to ask you to isn't going to help anyone, least of all you. Besides, we don't turn in our friends."

"Not unless there's a reward involved," Carlos agreed. Andros and Zhane both scowled at him and Ashley looked exasperated, but Karone smiled a little, which had obviously been his goal.

Cassie smiled faintly, still thinking about lawyers. "I know some people with experience in working with the law, but they're not exactly on the side we're looking for," she commented. She reached for a piece of toast from the stack and frowned. "Carlos, your dragon is -

"Sparkle," Ashley corrected. "His name is Sparkle."

"He's a Mini-Dragon," Zhane added absently, reaching over to steal a piece of fruit off Karone's plate and ignoring the glare he received in return.

Carlos reached to catch the little lizard in its attempt to steal a piece of toast, ignoring the adorable squawk it made in protest as he scooped it up in one hand. "His name is not Sparkle," he said flatly, giving Ashley a look as he fed the dragon a piece of his sausage instead.

"Well, if you won't give him a name, someone has to!" she exclaimed.

"He doesn't need a name! He's a dragon!"

"Mini-dragon," Zhane reminded them again, reaching for another piece of fruit and pouting at Karone when she slapped his hand away.

Cassie looked at T.J., who was now holding his head in his hands, and Andros who was watching the arguing with a resigned look on his face. "You're thinking that we're not taking this seriously enough, aren't you?" she asked with a wry smile.

"Of course you're taking it seriously," Andros replied, oddly solemn as he watched the others. "It's when you're not fighting with each other that I worry."

T.J. looked up enough to give him a dirty look.

"We ***are*** taking it seriously," Ashley spoke up, glancing over at them as she pulled her orange juice closer to herself and out of reach of Zhane, who'd been eyeing it. "But until we figure out what steps we need to take, we can't really do anything yet. And we won't know that until we find a lawyer, or at least someone with legal expertise."

"Actually," T.J. began, just as Andros said "Well, there is - " They stopped, looking at each other, and Andros shook his head, gesturing for T.J. to go first.

"There's a few loopholes we can take advantage of," T.J. told them. "First of all, Astronema never actually made a formal declaration of war against Earth."

Cassie stared at him. She wasn't the only one.

"She made what could be considered acts of war, but she never made a formal speech or submitted any documentation. I know," he cut in, raising a hand before anyone could say anything. "It's stupid. But ***technically***, she never legally declared war on Earth. She tried to claim property rights and threatened lives and did a lot of damage, but that's about it.

"Which means that she can't be tried on anything more than the charges they have. Also, seeing as how she wasn't working for Dark Spectre willingly - at least, not at that point - I think we can also argue that she wasn't at fault," he went on. "But from what I've been able to find as of right now, the fastest way to protect Karone would be to declare her a prisoner of war."

"What does that mean?" Andros asked, frowning.

"On Earth," Zhane clarified, glancing at Andros. "What would that mean on Earth?"

T.J. shrugged. "Well, I don't know how it works everywhere else, but here it would mean offering up a white flag and surrendering to someone - namely us. Which makes us directly responsible for protecting her and releasing her to her homeland: KO-35."

"I surrender."

Everyone looked at Karone in surprise. She had both hands raised in the air, and her expression was calm. In her right hand she held a white napkin. "I surrender to you," she repeated softly once she had their attention.

"D.E.C.A., can you make a recording of this?" Zhane asked abruptly, glancing at her camera. "For documentation?"

"Recording," D.E.C.A. answered calmly.

"I surrender to you," Karone announced again, offering the napkin to T.J.

T.J. blinked. "We accept your unconditional surrender," he said at last, accepting the napkin.

There was a long moment of silence.

"Now what?" Ashley asked blankly.

T.J. shrugged reluctantly. "Well, now Karone is under our protection, but we need legal representation."

"There's always Lord Billy," Andros offered.

" ... Who?" Cassie asked warily.

Zhane stared back at her. "How do you not know your own lord?" he demanded.

"Lord?" she repeated, giving him a bewildered look. "Earth doesn't have a lord."

"It's not one country," Ashley added gently. "There's several leaders, not just one."

"I know that. I read," Zhane retorted. "But that doesn't mean you don't have a lord."

"The Alliance has an Earth representative," Andros explained as the rest of them continued to stare at Zhane. "He's a former Ranger of Earth, but he moved to Aquitar after he retired. He took over for the Aquitian Rangers as Earth's Alliance representative, which makes him considered the lord of Earth by political standards."

They stared at him.

" ... Huh." T.J. said at last.

Ashley looked puzzled. "So Earth has a ruler we didn't even know about?"

"Maybe he can help promote the cause for World Peace?" Carlos suggested wryly, feeding his dragon another piece of sausage.

"What he ***can*** do," Andros continued, clearly ignoring them now, "Is represent Earth, and its Rangers, in the Alliance. He can also motion ***as*** a member of the Alliance to have former creatures of Evil absolved of their crimes due to the nature of Zordon's Golden Wave."

"Dropping Zordon's name into any conversation ***always*** makes people listen," Zhane assured them.

"***At which point***," Andros went on loudly, shooting a glare at him, "The Alliance will vote for or against the dismissal of all crimes against Karone and the others. If they agree to absolve them, there is literally nothing Earth can do about it, seeing as she's actually from KO-35 and falls under intergalactic law. And whether all members of Earthian society are aware of intergalactic law doesn't change the fact that they ***do*** fall under it. And as a citizen of Earth himself, Lord Billy would be obligated to explain all this to them."

"Do you think he would?" Ashley asked tentatively, looking hopeful.

Andros shrugged. "I'm not sure. Zhane knows him better than I do."

"I think he'll be annoyed with us for putting this all on his shoulders, but he'll do it," Zhane said before they could ask. He shrugged. "He's always been kind of protective of Converts and Spell Victims."

Cassie gave him an odd look. "What's - "

"I'm a Convert," Karone interrupted, taking something off Andros' plate while he wasn't looking. "Someone who has converted from Evil to Good. Spell Victims are people who have been attacked or turned in some way by magic."

" ... There's a word for that?" Carlos murmured, frowning at his juice.

Cassie frowned. "So ... we ask this Lord Billy to get Karone absolved, and then ... ? What happens to her after that?"

Andros gave her a blank look. "Then she'll be protected under law."

"Then people can't arrest her," Zhane corrected, stretching as he stood. "Doesn't rule out 'accidents' or assasination attempts, though."

Ashley went pale."Assasination attemps?!"

"Relax. This is Karone we're talking about. She'll send them home crying."

Karone smiled very slightly as she stole the last of Zhane's juice.

"But what if she can't?" T.J. asked with a frown, completely missing the glare Karone shot him.

Zhane shrugged. "That's what we're here for, isn't it?"


	21. Boredom

**Author's Notes/:**The requirements being read were taken from www. ehow list_6454579_ged-requirements-california. html. I have since been informed that there was a second test that the Rangers could have taken which came out right about the time this would have been happening. x.x So for the sake of this story, it wasn't an option until later in the year.

Much love to rosabelle for beta. 3

* * *

"Examinees who want to take the GED test must be eighteen years of age or older, or within sixty days of their eighteenth birthday regardless of school enrollment status."

Carlos lifted a hand. "Um - "

"Examinees who are seventeen year old," Andros continued loudly, clearly not finished, "Are allowed to take the GED test if they satisfy two requirements: have been out of school for at least sixty consecutive school days - "

"That's us," Ashley confirmed.

"And provide a written letter of request from either the military, post-secondary school, or prospective employer."

"Uh," Carlos began again.

"Examinees who complete the GED testing before their eighteenth birthday will experience a delay in certification. They initially will receive a letter of intent from the state of California, and then be certified when they turn eighteen. Examinees may not be enrolled in school at time of GED testing and must be within sixty days of when they would have graduated from high school had the normal course of study been completed. Individuals who are seventeen years of age while incarcerated in a California state or county correctional facility are eligible to take the GED test if these requirements are met: it is found that the individual has no realistic chance of achieving a high school diploma, the individual is suffeciently prepared to complete the GED test, the individual understands the ramifications, benefits, expectations, and limitations of obtaining a GED verses a diploma, and the individual is capable of committing sufficient time to completing the GED test battery in its entirety."

"Wait, so we have to get a job or get ***arrested*** just to graduate high school now?" Carlos demanded.

Zhane started laughing.

Cassie kicked him absently as she frowned in thought. "That would mean ... T.J. can take it in March, Ash would be April, and Carlos in May, but I have to wait until the end of June?"

"Would your government accept being a Power Ranger as enrolling in the military?" Karone asked.

"Who knows?" T.J. sighed, reaching up to run his forehead. "It's not like there's a precident for this kind of thing."

"Maybe Lord Billy could write you a note," Zhane teased, still snickering.

Cassie kicked him again.

"Do you know Lord Billy personally?" Ashley asked curiously.

Surprisingly, Zhane and Andros both nodded. "I've worked with him several times, through the Rangers of Aquitar," Andros told them.

"I haven't known him long, but we've worked together since I took over as the Alliance representative for KO-35," Zhane added.

Ashley blinked. "You're KO-35's representative?"

A slow smirk crossed Cassie's face; she couldn't help it. "Does this mean we get to call you Lord Zhane?"

"Only in Alliance Meetings," he answered absently, shifting around to hang upside down in his beanbag chair and stare at the ceiling.

T.J. stared at him. There was a slight twitch over his right eye. " ... You mean I spent all that time researching laws and politics, when you could have just taken care of it?"

"First of all, I couldn't," Zhane corrected him, holding up a finger. The gesture looked odd from the position he was in. "I'm not from Earth. I don't know your laws, and I have no power to argue them even if I did. Second, seeing as you're from Earth and the team's second, it falls to you as our Earth Representative which means you needed to know all that anyway."

There was a long silence.

"Do we get to call you Lord T.J. now?" Carlos asked finally.

Cassie snickered, and they exchanged a low five as T.J. glared at them both.

"Only in Alliance meetings," Zhane said again, but there was a slight smirk on his face as he said it.

"So how do we get ahold of Lord Billy?" Ashley ventured, clearly trying to keep the peace.

"Comm call, once he's available." Zhane didn't look too concerned. "He's been on sabbatical for awhile now. When he starts taking messages again, we'll call."

Cassie frowned. "Why is he ... ?"

"Lord Billy was one of Zordon's Rangers."

She winced, and there was an awkward pause.

Andros cleared his throat abruptly. "Valid identification is required by all GED candidates," he read aloud. "Identification must be current and include the examinee's full name, date of birth, address and signature. Identification must also include a current photograph. Items considered acceptable to prove identification are: a Department of Motor Vehicles driver's license or identification card, military issued identification card, U.S. or foreign government issued passport, identification cards issued by U.S. or foreign governments, and lastly identification cards issued by a post-secondary school."

Karone sat up from where she'd been leaning against the window, blinking for a moment like she'd been dozing. "Do you have any of those?"

T.J. was still glaring at Zhane, but he nodded. "Driver's license. We all do."

"If T.J. is the only one who can even take this G.E.'d test, why are we still boring ourselves talking about it?" Zhane asked suddenly, clearly ignoring the glare as he continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"Because T.J. can still take his ***G.E.D.*** test, and T.J. would like to graduate high school," T.J. informed him irritably.

Zhane shifted, turning just enough to stare at him blankly. "You're a Power Ranger. You saved the ***universe***. What do you need high school for?"

There was another awkward silence.

"Because if we want to go to college, we have to graduate high school first," Ashley said finally.

Zhane only looked more bewildered. "Why do you need more school?"

"If you want to get a good job, you have to go to school," she explained. She elbowed Carlos, who was fighting a grin.

"You're a ***Power Ranger***. You already ***have*** a job," Zhane argued.

"But I don't know if I want to be a Ranger for the rest of my life," she protested, fidgeting a little.

"What else would you be?"

" ...I don't know yet," she admitted. "But I like the idea of having the option."

"Not everyone wants to be a Ranger, Zhane," Andros interjected defensively, eyeing Ashley.

"That's because you're just weird," Zhane informed him. "I'll stop being a Ranger the day they pry this morpher from my cold fingers."

Cassie made a face. "Cheery."

"Okay, change of subject," T.J. interrupted. "This conversation is getting morbid, and I still have a test to study for."

"But studying is boring," Zhane protested. "Just wing it. You'll be fine."

"We could name Carlos' dragon," Ashley offered quickly before T.J. could do more than glare at him.

Carlos looked up, rolling his eyes as his dragon peeked out on his left shoulder from under his hair. "For the last time, the dragon doesn't need a name, Ash. It's a ***dragon***."

"Don't say that! You'll hurt Sparkle's feelings!"

His eyes narrowed. "You are ***not*** naming him Sparkle."

"What's wrong with Sparkle?" Karone asked with a frown. "I like things that sparkle."

"Shiny," Zhane suggested, grinning. "Shiny things are fun, too."

"Fireball." T.J. shrugged, shooting a longing glance at the book Andros was still holding. "That's a good name for a dragon."

"Trouble," Andros suggested, eyeing the dragon warily.

"What about Sparkie?" Cassie offered. "It still sounds kind of like Sparkle, but less .. Zhane-like?"

"Hey," Zhane protested.

"I'm calling him Chaos, because that's all he ever seems to cause," Carlos grumbled. The dragon snuggled against his cheek, and he reached up to pat its head absently.

"Now that that's settled, can we ***please*** help T.J. graduate high school?" T.J. asked pointedly.

"High school is boring," Zhane informed him.

"You said that already."

"Obviously you weren't listening well enough, or I wouldn't have to repeat it."

Cassie shook her head with a smile. If there was one thing she could be sure of, life as a Power Ranger was ***never*** boring.


End file.
